Horizons: Icarus
by Lividio Nova
Summary: While the maiden voyage of the Ishimura is long over, Zack and Cody still have many unanswered questions about the events that took place aboard her. Until now, the only person able to help put the pieces of the puzzle together had been in a coma from those same events. But in their hasty quest for understanding, the twins may find themselves flying too close to the sun. COMPLETED!
1. Prologue: Startling News

Horizons:_ Icarus_

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><p>***Author's Notes***<p>

And we're right back at it folks! Some important points I'd like to make about this story:

1. My interpretation of the S.S. Tipton as a setting in this series has been changed from the SLOD-style ship to something more akin to the brief glimpse we had of it in the movie. The actual vessel I am using is the _MS Norwegian Sun_, a member of the Sky-class of Norwegian Cruise Line ships (reason for choosing: I've travelled on her several times and know the ship's interior from memory). For anyone wondering what that means for the popular Sky Deck and Aqua Lounge settings, here's the translation:

The Sky Deck is now represented by the Oasis Pool and surrounding area on Deck 11 (but retains its name)

The Aqua Lounge has no equivalent on ANY modern cruise ship (large glass windows below the waterline are a poor design decision, as Moseby has discovered the hard way), so it has been replaced by the Norwegian Sun's Observation Lounge, which ironically is at the very TOP of the ship on Deck 12.

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><p><strong>2. This story could potentially make no sense if you haven't read at least some of Horizons: Origin.<strong>

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><p>3. Music remains an integral component like last time and will be shown in the same format: a citation at the end of each chapter it is used.<p>

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><p>4. Colin's creation prior to the Ishimura, called "The Citadel", was referred to several times in Origins, but never seen. In Icarus it will finally be seen and will be a major setting. The tower is based off of the Combine Citadel from the video game Half-Life 2 in external appearance and size only (about 2km or 1.24 miles tall, which is almost 2.5 times the height of the world's actual tallest building: the Burj Khalifa in Dubai), with a completely original interior. Now perhaps the story's title of Icarus makes more sense?<p>

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><p>With those out of the way, here's the obligatory preface: I do not own the intellectual properties of the Suite Life or Dead Space, and I simply write for the enjoyment of doing so.<p>

***End Author's Notes***

* * *

><p>Prologue: <em>Startling News<em>

"CODY! WAKE UP!"

A cacophony of noise ushers in Saturday morning rather early for Cody Martin in his cabin on the S.S. Tipton. Completely dazed and groggy, he looks around in an attempt to locate the source of the disturbance. Further banging on the door to Cody and Woody's shared cabin answers the question, and Cody sluggishly moves to open it.

"OPEN THE FRICKIN DOOR ALREADY!"

Cody obliges and comes face-to-face with Zack, whose mood seems to be a cross between excited and terrified.

"What do you want Zack? Do you have ANY idea what time it is?"

"Doesn't matter!"

Zack shoves a copy of the New York Times into Cody's face.

"Read the headline!"

Cody rubs the sleep from his eyes and proceeds to examine the front page.

* * *

><p>January 4th, 2011 - <strong>Ishimura Designer Awakens From Six Month Coma<strong>

Doctors Baffled at Miracle Awakening of Colin Shepard as Hometown Descends into Celebratory Uproar

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><p>Cody drops the paper and stumbles backwards slightly. Zack catches him and helps him to sit down on the ground.<p>

"The rest of the story is really something else."

"I think that headline was quite enough…"

Zack joins Cody on the floor of the hallway.

"What does it mean? What do we do?"

"Good god Zack, I'm barely awake and you expect ME to have all the answers?"

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupts the conversation as Moseby comes casually strolling around the corner. He looks directly at Cody and smiles.

"You may not have the answers Cody, but that doesn't mean everyone on this deck has to know about it."

"We were that loud?"

"I could hear your conversation all the way down the hall."

"Then you've seen the headline?"

"Yes. And I think it's rather alarming that you two are in fits over it. As far as I'm concerned, everyone should be happy about it!"

Zack and Cody look dumbfounded at Moseby's cheerfulness.

"You do realize that WE are the ones who indirectly made him go into that coma, right?"

"Well now, I wouldn't say that. The article says he had an undiagnosed heart condition. How's that the fault of you two?"

"Um, we stressed him to the point that he collapsed?"

"Believe what you may, but I personally don't think that you two are responsible in any way for what happened. It was a… difficult set of circumstances."

"Uh huh."

"I've got better things to do than sit here and try to convince you two about it. If you won't take my word for it, here's a suggestion: when we return to the United States in two weeks, you two should visit him in Austin. I'm sure London will lend you her helicopter and pilot for a day."

"Where are we even docking? A helicopter won't work if we're a couple of states away."

"Oh don't worry: we're docking in Galveston for three days."

"Colin's front door."

"Mmhm. I'll be curious to see what you two elect to do about it. See you at breakfast."

Moseby walks off as abruptly as he appeared, whistling a tune to himself.

"Well? Now what?"

"We wait and plan Zack. We wait, and we plan."


	2. You Can't Kill Me That Easily

Chapter 1: _You Can't Kill Me That Easily_

* * *

><p>"I am… awake?"<p>

At first, Colin Shepard's brain does not agree with what his eyes are observing. A cool and completely unlit room appears before him, with its features and architecture only defined by confusing and indefinite outlines in the dark.

"No… must be another dream. Unless…"

He looks to his left and manages to identify the shape of a small bedside table in the near-complete darkness. With considerable effort, Colin's left arm rises up from its place on the bed and reaches over to touch the object. The feel of smooth and cool wood sends a shock through his body.

"So it is real."

He slowly rises up from his bed and a few lights in the area begin to flicker to life to reveal Colin's surroundings. He is not in a room, but rather a vast elongated chamber with floors of dark black marble and walls made of a strangely smooth blue-colored metal that is uninterrupted by any seams or welds anywhere. These walls gently curve inwards to meet at a great vaulted ceiling around forty feet above. The bed is situated against the back wall of the space, which has a large indented area starting above the bed and stretching to the ceiling height-wise and almost to the adjoining walls width-wise. Colin looks at himself and sees that he is wearing a luxurious golden bathrobe with his initials of CS monogrammed on the left side chest in silver lettering.

"The Citadel. I'm home."

There is a sudden rumbling noise and the indentation on the back wall splits into two parts and retracts away to the sides, revealing most of the back wall to be a massive window made of a very thick and monolithic glass pane. Several similar looking parts of the walls along the sides of the chamber separate to reveal uninterrupted panes of glass that stretch from floor to ceiling. Only dim bluish light filters in from the windows, and the massive number of stars visible reveals that it is nighttime outside. Having surveyed all his surroundings, Colin cautiously swings his feet over the edge of the bed and gently steps onto the marble floor. Near to Colin's feet, a well-concealed door in the floor silently opens and a sentinel appears. Aside from a bronze coloring in lieu of silver, the robot seems identical in appearance and apparent function to its Ishimura counterpart. The sentinel sets down a pair of plush blue slippers directly next to the two feet in front of it, which are graciously accepted. As a rather frail Colin gingerly gets out of bed and takes his first few steps, the sentinel takes up position behind him, silently following Colin as he begins to make his way towards the opposite side of the chamber.

"… it feels like it's been so long. Sentinel, how long have I been out?"

The hovering guardian behind him answers in a quiet and lightly-digitalized male voice.

_"Approximately 6 months sir."_

Colin stops dead in his tracks.

"Come again?"

_"You have been unconscious for 6 months, ten days, nine hours, thirty-seven minutes and fifty-three seconds in a completely comatose state. Your abrupt awakening was not predicted by any monitoring equipment."_

"That would explain why this place was decidedly shut down… and why it's so dusty."

_"I am the only active sentinel in the entire Citadel at the current time."_

"Uh, I don't recall programming this drastic of a shutdown."

_"Emergency protocols were unclear as to what course of action to take if you were in such a length comatose state. CABAL brought back online to replace Overwatch, the AI you left to govern in your absence. He was unable to glean any interpretation from them, and as such, he created a new protocol to follow. The Citadel is in a deep hibernation mode and will remain that way until you awaken it or until you pass away and your will is activated."_

"Which would give the structure to Chris."

_"That is correct."_

Colin pauses to think a moment.

"What happened at the end of the voyage? Last thing I remember is using the HGA prototype to blast Zack across the room, but after that, it's fuzzy…"

_"While I do not have the exact details of the events in that room, I do know that the moment the ship docked at the spaceport, arrangements were made to bring you here. Despite rescuing you from the cardiac arrest event, the Ishimura medical staff was unable to stabilize your condition, and you were placed in a medically-induced comatose state. Upon arrival and treatment here, you were unable to be revived from the coma, and thus doctors were left with no choice but to wait it out."_

"That's depressing…"

_"The effect on Christopher Thorne was quite drastic, as was the effect on the Martin twins. The information I have available to me suggests that Zack and Cody blame themselves for the situation."_

"Hm… I'm not completely disinclined to agree, but I will reserve judgment for the moment."

Colin and the robot arrive at the opposite end of the chamber. Similar to how the windows were hidden, a massive door is as well. The only break in the smooth metal is a tiny aperture slight offset left from the center of the door, where circular hologram similar to the ones seen on the Ishimura is projected from. Colin is somewhat taken aback as the projection is of a vastly sharper and more vibrant quality compared to those on the Ishimura.

"…upgrades?"

_"Prior to the institution of the new hibernation protocol, the records of the Ishimura voyage were processed. It was determined that holograms were a much-lauded feature of the vessel, but that occasionally their image quality was inferior to that of an LCD display. The Citadel is now equipped with prototype second-generation hologram technology."_

Colin seems mildly irked.

"Anything ELSE you people changed while I was gone?"

_"The hologram upgrade is the only major change to the structure. All other changes fall into the category of software optimizations and runtime modifications as per CABAL's operational protocol."_

"Well things should be running smooth as silk, seeing as he's had plenty of downtime."

_"CABAL shut himself down when the Citadel went into hibernation and the dark fusion reactor was powered down as well."_

"Scratch that assumption then. They all went to bed and left you to stand watch?"

_"Both figuratively and literally."_

Colin gives the hologram a tap and the wall splits apart to reveal a second layer that starts to open a few seconds afterwards.

_"Due to the low-power situation, lighting systems on the rest of this level are not functional."_

"I'll mind my steps then."

Colin carefully chooses his steps as he exits the light of his chamber and enters a dark and surprisingly cold new area of the Citadel. Colin's breath begins to materialize in the air and tiny hints of frost can be seen on nearby surfaces in a corridor that stretches into the darkness.

"Good lord it is cold! We're over a mile up in the atmosphere and the HEATING SYSTEM IS TURNED OFF?"

_"You presume correctly. Your private quarters draw heat from an electric heating system, whereas the rest of the upper levels of the structure-"_

"-get heat from the reactor, which isn't running. I know."

_"My apologies for providing redundant information."_

"Don't be apologetic; I'm glad that you know all the Citadel's systems. Most sentinels only have extensive knowledge about the location they work in. Saves memory space."

_"I was given upgrades to memory, power supply and processing ability prior to taking on my new role monitoring you as the Citadel was shutdown. CABAL gave me full knowledge of the Citadel's workings due to the new role. He knew that I would be the one to help you restore the structure should you ever awaken."_

"Well here I am!"

_"Indeed."_

After a few moments of silent walking, the pair arrives at a circular hub-like area. The floor here is glass, though nothing beneath it is visible on account of the darkness. At the very center is a hexagonal area of the blue metal that is floating in a gap that is only a hair-width larger than it is. A small pedestal rises up from one of the corners and is projecting a dim hologram.

"God, everything looks so different without the lights on. This is the elevator hub, yes?"

_"Correct. We are standing at the very center of the tower. The shaft beneath this glass floor runs all the way to the subterranean levels uninterrupted, and the elevator docked here is the only functional one in the entire structure at this time."_

"Still gives me vertigo…"

Taking care not to look down, Colin crosses the area at a slightly more brisk pace. He only slows down upon reaching the other side.

"Now, onward to Citadel Central Control."

_"Your authorization is needed to access the upcoming door and anything beyond."_

"I'm awake, so that's no issue."

Colin simply points forward and motions the doors apart with his hands. They comply, and a few orange-colored emergency lights begin to light the corridor beyond, which is rather short and leads to yet another door. Colin orders this one open as well and the two move into a small but fairly tall circular room. There is a single massive leather chair at the center, surrounded by powerless screens and hologram projectors.

_"One moment while I interface with the systems."_

Colin takes a seat in the chair and begins thinking aloud.

"I can't help but wonder… reactivating the Citadel is going to be like setting off a flare to both the Martins AND whoever unleashed that virus. You said the Ishimura voyage data was analyzed? What conclusions did we reach about the virus?"

_"Unfortunately, all intact copies of the virus were purged when the Unity Protocol was activated and the system was flushed of all irrelevant data. The virus appears to have been unable to reconfigure itself in time to avoid deletion and so all copies within the ship computers were lost. The version remaining in Zackary Martin's RFID tag was destroyed at the end of the voyage along with the tag itself before either could be analyzed."_

"So all you had to go on was CICIL's records of fighting it?"

_"Correct. CABAL did not entrust me with the details from those records, likely for security reasons. Despite that, I do know that he was highly distressed by whatever he did find."_

"All the better to hear it straight from him then. How's that interfacing coming along?"

_"Systems should be coming online… now."_

The room whirs to life in a mad rush of noise and lights. The screens all come up, but remain blank. A light static buzz is all that is heard over the structure's PA system.

_"System startup from hibernation is slower due to lack of optimization."_

"I can imagine."

One screen to Colin's right finally begins spitting out information after almost half a minute.

"Finally!"

* * *

><p><em>Computer Assisted and Biologically Augmented Lifeform startup process initiated.<em>

_Version: 3.59 (Build 359221 - December 2009)_

_…_

_Resuming from hibernation mode. Please stand by…_

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><p>"Yikes."<p>

_"Is there a problem?"_

"Uh, yes. I haven't worked on the poor guy at all since December two years ago."

_"He is somewhat out of date compared to CICIL of the Ishimura."_

Colin shoots the sentinel an unhappy look.

"You don't say."

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><p><em>System now exiting hibernation mode. All necessary data loading into RAM…<em>

_…1%...8%...24%...57%...72%... 90%...100%... Done!_

_All procedures completed. Re-initialization is now in progress._

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><p>The most centrally located hologram projector comes to life and large floating blue head materializes from it. The head is somewhat more elongated than a normal human head, and it lacks any normal details such as hair, pores or even eyelids. The physical features are also smoothed with the exception of a rather square chin, giving a decidedly artificial appearance to the avatar. To round it out, two shimmering sapphire-like eyes stare out from their sockets endlessly and a light aura surrounds the entire head as it floats eye level with Colin. It looks around in a brief moment of confusion before recognizing Colin.<p>

_"Colin Shepard. Welcome back to the ranks of the living."_

The AI speaks with a deep and authoritative voice that has noticeable computer qualities to it in addition to what could be perceived as a slightly sinister attitude.

"I'm told that I have you to thank for it CABAL."

_"Your appearance in front of me is all I need as proof that I chose the correct course of action."_

"And for that, I am grateful. Now, what's our status?"

_"At the moment, I am beginning to power up the dark fusion reactor and I will charge the Tunneling Entanglement Device for a pulse. A 'grand gesture' if you will, to signal that you have returned."_

"I like it."

_"And… it's almost sunrise."_

"What's the date?"

_"January 3rd, 2011. It looks like it's going to be a day of perfect weather."_

"Take us up. I want to see it firsthand."

_"Of course."_

The room rumbles and the floor begins to rise, taking Colin and the controls with it. The ceiling retracts away, allowing the floor to rise to a hidden second level. As it reaches the top, the wall beyond the computer screens parts and opens to reveal yet another massive window that looks outside. The sun is barely visible on the horizon, and the entire outside area beyond the window is shrouded in darkness. Colin spins to the right in his chair and walks towards a door that admits him into an airlock.

_"The atmospheric shielding is still up. Conditions outside are calm and cold."_

The door to the outside opens and Colin slowly steps out. A very light shimmer can be seen as an energy shield can be seen enclosing the upper part of the Citadel, projected from a large antenna-like structure situated just above the control room. With the increasing light from the sun, the true purpose of the outside area is revealed as a particularly monstrous piece of machinery comes into view. The airlock has admitted Colin out onto the very top level of a mechanism that is nearly twenty stories in height and takes almost a third of the structure's footprint on those levels. The area it resides in is hollowed out and exposed to the elements from above, but is still contained by the side walls of the Citadel itself. Colin peers over a railing into the pit of machinery below him and whistles loudly.

"The scale of this thing never gets old."

_"I'm starting the power up sequence."_

The dormant portal comes to life with a parade of moving parts, energy beams and the associated noises fill the air. Colin casually walks towards a catwalk that leads directly to a platform that is mounted directly over the center of the machine. A ball of energy is beginning to form at the center, slowly growing in brightness.

_"Fifty percent charged."_

Bolts of electrical energy are now occasionally arcing between the ball of energy and the surrounding structure as the intensity increases.

_"Sufficient power to send out four pulses. Activate when ready."_

Colin steps onto the platform and tucks his arms in briefly before throwing them out and upwards while roaring at the top of his lungs. The ball explodes outwards and directs its energy into a wave of pure, blue, gleaming energy that rushes outwards from the top of the Citadel and passes through everything it meets. This repeats three times in the same way, with each successive wave rattling the Earth, and each wave coinciding with the same resounding thunderous sound from the Citadel itself that sounds like a mix of an alarm and Colin's own vocal roaring. As the cacophony ends and the booming echoes further and further into the distance, Colin emerges from the event completely unscathed and looking much less frail than only minutes earlier. CABAL's head materializes next to him on the portal's platform, smiling in a smug fashion.

_"So Colin, what's the first thing you're going to say to the world now that you're back?"_

Colin snorts at the thought and looks at the AI with a similar grin.

"You can't kill me that easily."

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><p><em>Movement I of "Give Us This Day"<em> - Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble by David Maslanka

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><p>***Author's Note: Sorry for the lengthy chapter, but a new setting like this has to be done right! By the way, if you are confused on CABAL's appearance or that of the Citadel, just search the web for "Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform" and "Half-Life Citadel" respectively.***<p> 


	3. Rough Seas

Chapter 2: _Rough Seas_

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><p><em>"The sunset is really beautiful up here…"<em>

_"I know, just like you."_

Zack snorts.

"God, those two need to get a room."

He is sitting at a table in the rapidly-filling Observation Lounge, ostensibly for the purposes of a relaxing snack before the start of the evening's cabaret show. In reality, he has a directional microphone pointed directly at a table across the room where Cody and Bailey are sitting together. One cable from the device is going to a discrete pair of earphones and another to a pocket-sized voice recorder. Zack leaves the microphone powered on as his food arrives, subtly listening in on Cody and Bailey's conversation.

"So Cody, what's the occasion?"

"Do I need a reason to treat you to dinner?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

A waiter brings them an appetizer of crab cakes.

"Oh wow Cody… this looks so expensive! And this is just an appetizer?"

"Don't worry; I've been saving up just for you."

Across the room, Zack attempts to hide his contempt for the pair by digging in to a steak with his knife as the conversation coming into his ear becomes more and more unbearable to listen to.

"Aww Cody-kins…"

Zack cuts more and more furiously with the knife until there is a loud crack. Zack freezes in place as people at several tables around him turn and stare. A waiter walks over to investigate the disturbance and scolds Zack in a heavy French accent upon seeing the cause."

"Is there a problem with the steak sir? Or do you just hate the silverware?"

Zack looks down and discovers that he has sawed right through the ceramic plate and broken it in half. The knife is partially imbedded in the table, having gone right through both plate and table cover.

"Oops…"

Back on the other side of the room, Cody and Bailey are completely oblivious to the developing scene with Zack.

"So Cody… I've been wanting to ask you something…"

"Sure, anything."

"I don't know how to phrase it… but ever since you've come back, you've been a little different. I can't even figure out what it is or why it's so noticeable to me. And after the news came yesterday morning, you've been really odd."

"Oh Bailey… It's just that I've been-"

Cody is interrupted by a verbal eruption on the other side of the lounge as the waiter discovers Zack's microphone setup.

"And what do you call this?"

"I have no idea what that is or why it's there."

"It has a cable running to YOUR POCKET."

Cody buries his head in his hands, trying to ignore his brother.

"Sécurité! Obtenir ce métis de sortir du salon d'observation immédiatement!"

_(Security! Get this mongrel out of the Observation Lounge immediately!)_

Kirby runs in, flanked by two other guards. The entire lounge has come to a standstill as confused dinner-goers watch the continuing disturbance.

"What's the problem?"

"This imbécile was spying on the young man and young lady over there with THIS!"

The infuriated waiter holds up the microphone and points directly at Cody and Bailey's table. Everyone in the room now turns and looks at the surprised couple.

"ZAAAAAAAAAACK!"

"Time to go!"

Zack shoves the waiter out of the way and makes a run for it. Kirby charges after him, followed by the waiter and Cody.

"Zack, come back here! You're going to answer for wasting that steak!"

"Qu'est-ce que c'est? Revenez ici et me faire face comme un homme!"

_(What the hell is this? Come back here and face me like a man!)_

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR RUINING MY EVENING WITH BAILEY!"

Zack leads the chasing trio out of the Observation Lounge and onto the heavily crowded Sky Deck where he vanishes into the throngs of people attending a poolside disco. Kirby, the waiter and Cody come to a screeching halt and begin surveying the crowd.

"Anyone see him?"

"I'm lookin..."

"Malheureusement non."

_(Sadly no.)_

Cody suddenly spots a flash of movement on the other side of the pool.

"THERE!"

Zack swings himself over the starboard railing and skillfully lands on the promenade one deck below, alarming several passengers.

"Dang! He's one deck below us!"

Cody seems to have a spark of inspiration.

"Wait a sec... that's the promenade! Kirby, wasn't that deck just polished and waxed?"

"Yeah... it's a bit slippery."

Cody seizes Kirby's radio.

"Security to engineering: full reverse! Full reverse!"

The ship lurches and groans as the engines go into a full reversal, knocking the hapless passengers at the disco to the ground. On the promenade, Zack feels himself losing traction as the deck changes direction beneath him.

"Oh not good! NOT GOOD!"

From up above on the Sky Deck, Cody, Kirby and the waiter look down at Zack struggling to keep his balance whilst skating along the deck.

"Wait for it..."

"He's actually gonna go overboard! Cody, we can't let that happen!"

"Pourquoi l'enfer pas?"

_(Why the hell not?)_

"Security to engineering: FULL STOP!"

The hapless passengers of the Tipton are thrown around once more as the ship comes to an abrupt stop. Zack finally loses his balance due to the rapidly changing momentum and goes over the side of the ship and into the sea.

"MAN OVERBOARD, STARBOARD SIDE!"

* * *

><p>"What in the world were you two thinking?"<p>

A soaking wet Zack is wrapped in a blanket and is sitting in Moseby's suite with Cody at his side. Moseby is visibly infuriated.

"First Zack spies on dinner guests with a microphone and RECORDS THE CONVERSATIONS, then Cody steals Kirby's radio and orders the engines reversed to throw Zack overboard? Unbelievable!"

"Moseby..."

"No! Not another word! I've put up with a lot, but my patience is done! You two are confined to the ship for the next four ports-of-call!"

Zack and Cody are incredulous.

"What? The next stop is Galveston! We have plans to go to Austin, which I seem to recall YOU suggested!"

"Not anymore you don't! While in port, you two are confined to your cabins! You may only leave for meals and school, and NO VISITS FROM NON-ROOMATES ALLOWED."

"We're going to be all by ourselves on a near-empty ship for the weekend? And locked in our cabins the whole time? This isn't fair at all!"

"It's the price you pay for the mistakes you've made. Now get out!"

The twins are ushered out of the suite and Moseby slams the door behind them.

"Great. You just had to go spying on me and Bailey, and now you've royally screwed us over. AGAIN."

"Well you didn't have to send me OVERBOARD."

"You ruined my night with Bailey and any chance that WE had for reconciliation with Colin. I'm done talking to you."

Cody storms down the hallway and back towards his cabin to brood. Zack trudges off in the opposite direction with a miserable look on his face. Unbeknownst to either of them, a very tiny spider-like robot has been silently observing their exchange from the ceiling. The feed from its camera is displayed on a hologram at the Citadel over a thousand miles away.

_"Another falling out? Their relationship is tumultuous at best."_

"Every since the voyage, it's been like this. It's interesting that they were going to come visit me."

_"Shall I roll out the welcome mat?"_

"Not quite. If they manage to get off that ship, we're not going to make a spectacle of them showing up here."

_"As you wish."_

* * *

><p><em>"Up is Down"<em> - Soundtrack from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End


	4. Never Doubt A Girlfriend's Determination

Chapter 3: _Never Doubt A Girlfriend's Determination_

* * *

><p>"Moseby, you have GOT to be kidding me. You're keeping them locked up for the weekend?"<p>

"Why yes I am. Don't sound so irked about it Bailey."

A visibly disinterested Moseby is lounging next to the pool on the Sky Deck, half-listening to a fuming Bailey standing over him.

"I'm not mad. I'm furious! You are denying those two some answers that are desperately needed!"

"They should have thought of that BEFORE they wreaked havoc last night."

"Then let me go instead!"

Moseby nearly leaps to his feet.

"Absolutely not! You don't even know the man!"

"Then let Zack and Cody go see Colin."

"Also out of the question!"

"Well too bad."

"What is that supposed to-"

Moseby is interrupted as a shadow falls over the deck.

"Oh good. My ride's here."

Above the S.S. Tipton, London's giant pink blimp slowly maneuvers into position, causing utter confusion from the passengers and Moseby. It drops down a ladder and Bailey steps on.

"Have a nice weekend Mr. Moseby!"

Bailey begins climbing as the blimp rises away. Moseby is almost at a loss for words.

"…you too?"

* * *

><p>"Argh! When is he supposed to be here?"<p>

_"Patience. It's a mob scene down there; he's probably stuck in the crowd."_

Colin is pacing in circles next to the Citadel's portal, seeming agitated and impatient.

"It's been a circus down there since I woke up!"

_"And it will continue to be like that until the parade on Monday."_

"Terrific. A whole weekend of me blockaded in my own Citadel."

_"Oh come now, it's not that bad."_

"It is quite bad indeed! I do require fresh air CABAL!"

_"You're already outside."_

"You miss the point…"

Colin gives up his point and goes back to staring out on the horizon from the top of the Citadel.

"Uh…"

_"What?"_

"Is it just me, or is there a giant pink blimp approaching the Citadel?"

_"Shall I sound an alarm?"_

"You're kidding right?"

_"Nevermind."_

"Let's see now… aha! There's a Tipton Industries logo plastered on the side. That can't be a coincidence."

_"Not the visitors you were expecting it seems."_

"I was not expecting them, and I shall not host them, whoever it may be. Divert them to Austin-Bergstrom International."

_"Why the hostility?"_

"How about an analogy? The Citadel is my Wuthering Heights and I am Heathcliff. I guard my domain jealously, and I don't like surprises."

_"Very well then. The blimp has been ordered to clear off."_

"Terrific. Back to waiting then."

* * *

><p>"You've got to be kidding me."<p>

An hour after the diversion of the blimp, Bailey is sitting in the back of a taxi cab that is stuck in gridlock traffic. The source of the congestion is a large celebratory crowd gathered around the boundaries of the Citadel, which rises out of a cavernous hole in the ground that is almost perfectly two city blocks by two city blocks. The pit is itself surrounded by a decorative white marble plaza with gardens and water features, and it is where the crowd has taken up residence.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I can't go any further."

"That's ok, here's the fare."

Bailey hurriedly pays the taxi driver and steps out onto the sidewalk. She cranes her neck in a futile attempt to measure the height of the Citadel, which stretches far above the scant clouds that are leisurely floating in the sky. Bailey takes a few steps back to appreciate the scale of the structure and gets in the path of someone running. The two go tumbling to the sidewalk.

"Ow! Sorry about that… my fault…"

Bailey looks over at the person she took down and sees that it is a somewhat short boy around the age of twelve who is on his hands and knees, recovering. He has brown hair with a hint of auburn that seems somewhat unkempt and lightly-tanned skin. He turns to look at Bailey with bright green eyes that seem to be holding back a few tears from the rough fall.

"Oh, I am so sorry!"

Bailey moves to comfort the child, and the two slowly return to their feet.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry; I was so busy trying to look at the Citadel that I stumbled into your way."

"It's ok… people who are new to Austin do that a lot."

"I'll bet. Say, I don't think that accident was a proper introduction. I'm Bailey. And you are…?"

"Chris."

"Nice to meet you! Where were you in such a hurry to get to Chris?"

"Well, actually I was trying to get to the Citadel…"

"I was about to head there too! My taxi got stuck in traffic… I'm trying to see if I can meet Colin Shepard to clear something up."

"Really? I know him."

"You do? Well why don't we go there together then? The two of us could probably make it through this crowd easier, if we stick together."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go!"

* * *

><p><em>"Possible sighting."<em>

"Where?"

_"Intersection of 1st Street and South Congress."_

"Current status?"

_"Unknown. The crowd is making tracking difficult."_

"Carry on."

Colin exits the portal area and re-enters the control room. He collapses into the chair with a sigh.

_"What's the matter?"_

"Every night I re-examine the archives, and every night, I still can't figure out how I got to this position."

_"Perhaps you should stop using the memory keys so much?"_

"No… they are essential to understanding what happened."

_"And yet you've let nobody else view the part pertaining to the Ishimura?"_

"Correct…"

_"Perhaps you should change that."_

"But doing so would reveal a dangerous secret."

_"How so?"_

"CABAL, your core contains First Civilization technology! You of all people should know the inherent risks."

_"Eventually SOMEONE will find evidence."_

"Then we'll just have to keep searching and snatching up said evidence before it gets in the wrong hands. Fortunately, Concordance Extraction Corporation just happens to be a mining conglomerate. They can't find stuff underground if we're there mining now can they?"

_"As great of a plan as that is – and I know I've asked this before – what do we stand to gain by hiding the evidence?"_

"Comfort in the knowledge that we won't go climbing over each other to dig up half the globe in a vain attempt to find archaeological artifacts of potential extraordinary power."

_"We'll have to continue this conversation later. Chris has reached the police line, and he has someone unexpected with him."_

"The twins?"

_"Not quite."_

* * *

><p>"Well, we're here… but we're not getting through."<p>

Chris and Bailey have arrived at the edge of the Citadel Plaza, where a police line has been set up to keep the joyous crowd from swarming the structure.

"They know me."

Bailey watches, speechless, as Chris casually strolls by the riot police, who acknowledge him with a simple nod. She attempts to follow, but is blocked with a riot shield.

"No further ma'am."

"Don't worry guys, she's with me."

"If you say so Mr. Thorne. My apologies ma'am."

Bailey is admitted through the lines and she and Chris stroll casually into the lush plaza.

"Thorne? Chris, you're the son of the owner of Thorne Industries?"

"Yep!"

Directly ahead is a thick marble wall that surrounds the edge of the pit itself. One area of the wall is curiously devoid of any light fixtures or features except for one small octagonal sapphire that is embedded in the exact center.

"Now what?"

Chris just smiles and lightly touches the stone with his hand. The ground shakes slightly and the segment of the wall begins breaks into pieces. They reconfigure themselves into a small railing-less balcony that extends out over the pit. Chris walks out to the edge, with Bailey remaining a bit further from the brink. Even from further back, she can see that the pit is actually a lake that is filled with water up to about fifty feet below the edge. About thirty feet horizontally from the balcony is a large opening in the Citadel's otherwise uninterrupted façade.

"This is… ridiculous…"

"You haven't seen the best part yet!"

Chris raises his arm and the lake's placid surface begins to grow restless and disturbed. From the depths rise a series of marble platforms that begin to lock together to form a glistening bridge between the balcony and the Citadel.

"We better hurry; the Bridge only lasts two minutes by default."

Chris and Bailey fast-walk across and arrive underneath a two-story covered entrance, where a massive door blocks further entry. A comparatively tiny hologram is being projected in front of it, asking for a handprint, which Chris provides.

_"Analyzing. Confirmed – Christopher Thorne and guest. Guest, please identify yourself."_

"Bailey Pickett."

_"Oh for god sakes CABAL, open the door!"_

_"Just performing the mandatory checks sir."_

_"Mandatory indeed? Let them in and send them up straight away!"_

_"You have both been granted access. Welcome to the Citadel."_

The door splits in two and slowly slides open. Chris and Bailey walk in and the door quickly closes behind them.

_"Rerouting power."_

Bright and slightly blue-tinted lighting bursts to life, temporarily blinding Bailey and Chris. As their vision returns, the scale of the Citadel's atrium is revealed. They are standing in a two-story tall room with a vaulted ceiling similar to that of Colin's private quarters. The floors are made of similar black marble, and the walls of the same unconventional bluish metal. Symmetrical alcoves line the walls at even intervals leading towards the center of the structure. Each alcove contains a painstakingly detailed and fifteen-foot tall statue of a famous leader of history gazing down upon the atrium hall. Security guards stand at attention in front of each statue, each armed with an intimidating assault rifle. Several small groups of scientists, technicians and other personnel are standing in small groups, talking and seemingly taking a break. Bailey and Chris approach the end of the atrium hall, where the last two statues of Mars, the Roman god of war, and Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, stand guard. Beyond these two, the space opens up into a great cylindrical shaft which runs the full height of the Citadel. Here, hexagonal open-air elevator platforms made of glass are arranged in a symmetrical pattern around the room. Several are not present or go flying past as Chris and Bailey approach, but the ones that are stationary can be seen to have a white-colored logo projected by a hologram on the glass that signifies the location it runs to. At the very center of the room is a lonely elevator with a simple logo that consists of three trapezoids interlocked to form a stylized triangle.

"That's our ride."

Chris steps on eagerly, but Bailey seems to have reservations.

"Uh… wait... we're not seriously riding in THAT are we?"

Another elevator platform with several passengers rushes up from below and continues upwards at astounding speeds.

"Yeah. How else would we be able to get a mile high in so little time?"

_"Don't worry Ms. Pickett: the elevators are perfectly safe. They use the same artificial gravity generation as the spaceship Ishimura to maintain passenger comfort during high-speed transit."_

"I don't know…"

Chris grabs Bailey's hand and pulls her onto the platform.

"You'll be fine! It's fun!"

Chris taps his foot once and the platform silently and slowly rises away from the floor.

"It doesn't even get fast until we clear the room."

_"Now departing Sector 1 – Atrium and Security. Heading to Sector 21 – The Pinnacle."_

The platform slowly approaches the top of the chamber, where the shaft narrows to just wide enough to accommodate the elevators. It comes to a smooth stop, much to the distress of Bailey.

"Why are we stopping?"

_"Engaging artificial gravity."_

A very faint energy field encapsulates the platform.

_"Launching."_

With other warning, the platform hurtles upwards with forceful yet mostly smooth acceleration. The gravity field absorbs the resulting wind and g-forces, making the ride as smooth as if Chris and Bailey were standing still. Outside the energy field, level after level zips by in a flash, until such point that Bailey stops trying to count. After about a minute, the elevator seems to start slowing down.

_"Now arriving at Sector 21 – The Pinnacle."_

The platform slowly rises to become flush with the glass floor, and the energy field dissipates. In front of Colin and Bailey is the door to the control room, already beginning to open.

"Come on!"

Chris charges towards the opening door, with Bailey struggling to keep up behind him. The elevator quietly falls away and begins a return trip downwards as a solid-looking energy field covers the resulting hole into the shaft.

* * *

><p><em>"Incoming."<em>

"I know."

"COLIN!"

Colin whirls around in his chair as the door to the control room slowly slides open and Chris runs through, proceeding to tackle Colin in the chair.

"Oh hey, fancy seeing you here Chris."

Bailey runs in, panting from having to keep up with Chris.

"And I see you brought company."

"Oh yeah, she's-"

"Bailey Pickett. Seven Seas High student and girlfriend of Cody Martin."

Bailey is stunned.

"How do you…?"

"Oh come on. You don't think I figured out who was coming to visit when we spotted that outrageously ostentatious blimp of yours, do you? London equipped you well for an entrance, though I am surprised that you are here and not the twins. My sources tell me they are... confined to quarters?"

"Something like that."

"And you decided to come in their stead? How... unexpected."

"Hey, never doubt a girlfriend's determination."

Colin looks amused.

"Noted. Now why don't you tell me the circumstances that led YOU to end up here as opposed to them."

"The short version or the long version?"

CABAL materializes next to Colin with an equally-amused expression.

_"Sounds like you've been through this before."_

"You could say that… and who are you exactly?"

_"I am the Computer-Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform, CABAL for short. I run the place."_

"An AI? Like that one on the Ishimura."

_"In hardware, yes. But the similarities end there, I assure you."_

Somewhat taken aback by CABAL's cool attitude, Bailey hesitates for a moment before starting her story.

"Um… well here's what happened…"

* * *

><p><em>"11:11" (song)<em> – Rodrigo y Gabriella


	5. An Overdue Rendezvous

Chapter 4: _An Overdue Rendezvous_

* * *

><p>"That… is quite a story."<p>

"You're telling me; I still can't believe Cody sent Zack overboard. Their feuding has never become that…"

_"Vindictive?"_

"Um, well… yeah actually."

Colin gets up out of the chair and stretches.

"Well considering all that's happened, we should expect their emotional psyches to be a bit shaken, but this sounds a bit over the top. I would much rather speak to them in person about this…"

"Moseby's got them locked down tight, good luck getting them."

Colin waves his hand and the room begins to ascend.

"Bailey my dear, you underestimate me. Moseby may not let us go around him or under him, but that's a non-issue. We'll go right though him."

_"Beginning Tunneling Entanglement Device initialization. Setting quantum entanglement target to coordinates 29° 20' 49.26" and -94° 42' 0.94. Target set: Tipton Industries Cruising Vessel, designation: S.S. Tipton."_

The room comes to a gentle stop at the top of the shaft and the windows looking out on the portal slide open. Outside, the machinery is humming away with an electric buzz as it powers up.

"What… what is that thing?"

"That? That is an inter-dimensional teleportation system that uses quantum entanglement to instantaneously transport matter."

"Entanglement? Doesn't that require the other entangled particle on the destination side?"

_"Normally yes, but the technology can be used one-way in a pinch. It's slightly less accurate than if we were to travel to another device, but for our purposes, this will do."_

"CABAL, will you be able to set us down right in one of the two cabins?"

_"I'm afraid not. Best I can do is the Sky Deck."_

"Oh good. There's a pool to cushion our fall if the z-axis gets skewed."

The door to the airlock opens.

"Chris, hold the fort would you?"

"Yahoo!"

"Um… CABAL, just don't let him touch anything… oh, and send us a fast pickup too. I get the feeling Moseby won't be thrilled that I'm running off with Zack and Cody."

_"Both of those requests can be arranged."_

"Good. Come Bailey, let's go drop in on your boyfriend and his brother."

* * *

><p>"Finished!"<p>

Cody slams shut a multivariable calculus textbook.

"At least, for the rest of the semester. That's a nice homework load off my back."

Cody's cell phone begins to ring, and he answers it.

"Hello?"

There is silence on the other end of the line. Cody pulls the phone away from his ear and looks at the caller ID to discover that it is Zack's phone number.

"Zack! This is the tenth time you've prank called me! Go find something productive to do!"

Cody hangs up before his brother can even respond.

"What an annoying piece of… huh?"

The lights of the room begin to flicker and the sound of the Tipton's engines stops abruptly.

"Electrical problems?"

Cody's phone rings again. This time, it's Moseby on the caller ID.

"Hello?"

_"WHAT DID YOU TWO DO NOW?"_

"Nothing. We're still locked in our cabins. REMEMBER?"

_"You and Zack stay right where you are and don't even think of trying to venture out!"_

"The door's locked Moseby. I'm not going anywhere."

Just as Cody finishes the previous sentence, there is a click from the door as the electronic lock fails. The door quietly swings open on its own. Cody cautiously gets up and looks into the hallway. Zack, equally confused, is standing in the doorway of his suite.

"Uh… did you?"

"Don't look at me. I don't know what's going on."

Cody's phone rings for a third time.

"Hello?"

_"Skydeck. Now."_

"Bailey?"

The phone goes dead. Zack looks at his brother expectantly.

"Well?"

"I think we're in the middle of a jailbreak."

* * *

><p><em>"Electrical instability has hit the Tipton! You are clear to enter the portal!"<em>

"Ready?"

"Not really!"

"Too bad!"

Colin grabs Bailey's hand and pulls her onto the circular center platform of the portal. Time around the two starts to slow down significantly and the view of the Citadel fades away into black.

"Three… two… one…"

There is a tremendous echoing bang, and Colin and Bailey are abruptly ejected from a circular portal that has opened up on the Tipton, much to the alarm of nearby passengers. Bailey looks back through the portal and sees a watery-looking image of the Citadel slowly dissipate as the portal closes up. Colin helps her to her feet and gives her a tiny earpiece.

"Divide and conquer."

"I can do that."

She puts the earpiece in and the two split up, with Colin heading for the bow and Bailey heading towards the stern.

"Radio check. Bailey, you read?"

_"Loud and clear."_

"Citadel, this Goliath-1, how copy?"

_"We read you loud and clear. Chris and I are standing by with overwatch support."_

"Find me the twins!"

_"Nearest available satellite with thermal imaging is Ares-3. Permission to re-route?"_

"That's a weapons platform! Do we have anything else to use?"

_"Negative."_

"Very well… do it. Bailey, until we have remote support, let's just sweep and clear."

_"Easy enough."_

* * *

><p>Several decks below the Skydeck, Zack and Cody creep along the dark and deserted hallways of the ship. The screaming of panicked passengers above can be heard, faint and muffled.<p>

"What's going on up there?"

"No idea…"

Emergency lights suddenly begin to come to life along the corridor.

"Uh oh."

"What?"

"Emergency power is up. Moseby will know we're loose!"

"Don't you think he's got bigger things to worry about?"

"I wouldn't count on it."

* * *

><p>"Damn! CABAL, the Tipton just engaged backup generators."<p>

_"I am unable to infiltrate their systems further. The backup generators are on a network that is physically separated from the main one. However, I do have some good news: Ares-3 is in position and online. Zack and Cody are on Deck 10. Their current course indicates that they are attempting to leave the interior of the ship and make for the promenade deck."_

"Which side?"

_"Starboard."_

"Bailey, meet me there in two!"

_"On my way."_

"CABAL, we're gonna need a ride outta here pretty soon!"

_"Extraction in five on the Skydeck."_

"Roger."

* * *

><p>"Find Zack and Cody!"<p>

Moseby is running around in the observation lounge, visibly panicked and nearly hysterical. He and several crew members are scouring every corner of the room for Zack and Cody. Sensing something, Moseby goes to the window and looks down at the promenade several decks below. He sees Zack, Cody and Bailey come careening out from inside the ship and head towards the Skydeck.

"THERE!"

* * *

><p><em>"Colin, I have Zack and Cody."<em>

"Rendezvous at the Skydeck!"

Colin, who is running and jumping along the top of the ship's superstructure, makes eye contact with Moseby coming out of the observation lounge.

"Uh oh…"

"YOU!"

"Shit!"

Colin takes a quick detour, but Moseby now realizes where the four are all converging.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY!"

"CABAL, we're compromised!"

_"Scrambling assets. ETA: one minute."_

"Arm Ares-3!"

_"Come again commander? The directed-energy weaponry of the Ares network has not been tested yet!"_

"ARM IT ANYWAY! I NEED A DISTRACTION!"

* * *

><p>Zack, Cody and Bailey arrive at the Skydeck and find it deserted, with no sign of passengers or Colin.<p>

"Now what Bailey?"

"We wait. Our ride will be here any second."

Cody looks up at the sky and sees a large moving shadow above them, but is immediately distracted as Colin leaps off the ship's radar mast and lands feet-first right next to him. Colin seems completely unfazed by the impact.

"Hello gentlemen. Good to see you two are alive and well."

"Uh… likewise…"

"CABAL, where is my ride?"

_"Thirty seconds."_

"Prepare for Ares activation. Mark target: 100 yards off port side, amidships."

_"Target marked. Charging."_

Moseby comes charging onto the deck, accompanied by crew and security.

"You four are in SO much trouble! You sabotage the ship to stage this elaborate jailbreak of those ever-annoying twins? Unbelievable! Mr. Tipton is furious!"

_"Charge complete."_

"And furthermore, it is an utter disgrace that YOU ARE HELPING THEM COLIN. Tread carefully! We wouldn't want you in a coma or something again."

Colin takes a menacing step forward.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm not. Mr. Tipton is, and I value my job."

"Perhaps it's time to value your own life more than your job."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

Colin raises his right arm up into the air.

"Nullam tempus euismod."

"Huh?"

Cody grins as he translates to himself what is being said.

"It's Latin… for 'go fuck yourself'."

Colin brings his hand down and with it, a massive red beam of energy from the sky that comes crashing down into the ocean. It generates a shockwave that shatters most of the glass on the ship and knocks everyone except Colin off their feet. As the beam continues in intensity, Colin uses the distraction to help Zack, Cody and Bailey to their feet.

"Let's get the hell out of Dodge!"

Several hundred feet above the ship, the large shadow Cody observed earlier begins to grow in size until it breaks through the cloud barrier, revealing itself as a flying fortress almost twice the length and width of the S.S. Tipton. The cloudy day combined with the huge shadow being cast renders it almost as dark as night, with only the waning energy beam from the Ares providing a red glow.

"The Sky Carrier has arrived! Everyone aboard, let's go, let's go!"

The vessel has descended now to the point where it is nearly touching the S.S. Tipton. An opening reveals itself and a platform descends to the Skydeck. Zack, Cody, Colin and Bailey quickly hop on and begin their ascent to the carrier.

"Carrier! Make for the Citadel with all due speed!"

The vessel's gargantuan engines roar to life and it propels itself up and away from the Tipton, and towards the clouds. Moseby and everyone else slowly get up off the deck in confusion as the Ares satellite ceases firing. As the noise of the Sky Carrier grows faint in the distance, an eerie silence settles over the powerless S.S. Tipton.

* * *

><p>***Author's Note: The "Sky Carrier" flying fortress featured at the end of this chapter is based on the equally famous and infamous Egg Carrier from Sonic Adventure. It is hard to describe the appearance in words, hence the unusually vague description.***<p>

* * *

><p><em>"The Kraken" – <em>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Soundtrack


	6. Perchance to Dream

Chapter 5: _Perchance to Dream_

* * *

><p>"They're asleep."<p>

"Thanks for checking Chris. Shouldn't you be getting some sleep too?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Colin and Chris are on the rather small bridge of the Sky Carrier. The lighting is modestly bright in the room and the view out the windows is limited as the vessel cuts through storm clouds in the dead of night. Occasional distant flashes of lightning illuminate the ship.

"We're cutting through some bad weather; I didn't want to leave the autopilot unattended."

"You don't trust it?"

Colin looks over at the controls in front of him. The control yoke can be seen shaking slightly as it moves on its own.

"The thing is holding together pretty well so far."

The Carrier shakes a little bit as it passes through a particularly large storm cloud. Chris takes a seat next to Colin. He looks at several of the screens and takes on a confused look.

"We're not going back to the Citadel...?"

"Nope. There's only one place to solve these mysteries, and it's not in Texas."

Colin presses a few buttons and changes one of the several monitors to show a navigation path. A line traces the ship's course from Galveston to its current location slightly north of El Paso. A dashed line continues onward towards New Mexico. Chris suddenly realizes where the ship is heading.

"The Spaceport..."

"You are correct."

Another tremor, slightly larger than the first shakes the Carrier.

"Settle in. It's a bumpy few more hours."

* * *

><p>Cody is sitting up in his bed, unable to sleep. Zack is in another bed right next to Cody's, out cold and snoring to prove it. The noise of the storm is muffled but still present and flashes of lightning can be seen out the window. Cody sighs and looks at the clock, which is just ticking past 10pm.<p>

_"Why has this all happened...? Why us? Plenty of questions... but almost no answers."_

_"No answers easily perhaps, but if you look hard enough, you shall find what is hidden."_

_"Wha-? Who's there? Who are you and why are you inside my head?"_

_"I am nothing but a figment of your deeply complex mind."_

_"Of course not."_

_"Allow me to show you then."_

Cody suddenly feels himself being jerked backwards and out of his body. He watches himself collapse back onto the bed before flying through the wall and away from the Sky Carrier, which grows smaller and smaller until it disappears into the clouds. Suddenly the Ishimura begins to take shape around him, specifically Engine Control Access. The room is empty and eerily quiet.

_"In the beginning, you had a premonition. You foresaw your brother's descent into madness through no fault of his own."_

Zack takes shape near the control console. He is in a frozen, aggressive stance, and his eyes simply stare towards the door with no sign of life or emotion.

_"But things did not unfold quite as planned. Duncan was not involved, nor was the centrifuge. Instead, someone else was sucked in to the rapidly unfolding chaos within the engine room."_

Colin appears, slumped over next to the workbench as he was during the fight.

_"And then there was you. The light to Zack's dark and the brains to his brawn."_

Cody's body appears directly facing Zack, and the two glare at each other in a frozen duel.

_"You triumphed… with some help. But of course, this is just a retread of what is already firmly engrained in your head. You will find that this descends to a much deeper level however, and Zack's loss of control is only the beginning. Answers will be found in the coming times, and you shall know all. Take heed however, that only two of the persons within this confrontation you see before you will ultimately go on."_

Colin's body begins to fade away into dust.

_"His future cannot be ascertained. His own legacy darkens the horizon."_

There is a brief flash of a logo that consists of three white trapezoids interlocked to form a triangle.

_"Sadly, it is the last hope. Return now to his fortress in the sky, and prepare yourself to return to where it all began. The ship awaits."_

Both Engine Control Access and the frozen duel scene in front of Cody begin to disintegrate and slowly the view of dark storm clouds returns. Cody is thrown forward and returns to his own body aboard the Sky Carrier. He awakens for a moment and surveys the room with a satisfied expression before falling asleep once more.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, the Sky Carrier is still sailing through the clouds, though the storm has lessened. The horizon is beginning to glow with the approaching dawn.<p>

"Chris, we're going to be approaching the restricted zone around the spaceport soon. Radio our clearance codes."

"You got it."

Chris presses a few buttons.

_"IFF broadcast in progress. Please stand by."_

"Waiting for acknowledgement…"

_"Sky Carrier, this is White Sands Control. Your IFF code has been received and airspace access has been denied."_

"WHAT?"

Colin opens up a radio channel.

"Say again Control? Did you say denied?"

_"Roger. Absolutely no aircraft are permitted within the airspace. This includes the Sky Carrier."_

"On whose authority?"

_"By request of Concordance Extraction Corporation."_

"This is ridiculous Control!"

_"Sky Carrier, you are approaching the airspace boundary. Turn left 2-7-0 and set course away from the restricted zone."_

Colin mutes the microphone.

"Rigging for silent run."

A rapid bell alarm sounds as the ship's acceleration drops significantly and the lighting scheme changes to a dim red glow. The engines go quiet and speed readouts on one of the displays begin dropping rapidly.

_"Stealth mode engaged."_

"Speed set to 200, entering active camouflage mode."

Outside, the Sky Carrier slowly begins to disappear from view.

"Chris, go wake everyone."

Chris leaps out of the chair and runs out of the room.

"Alright… going manual."

_"Autopilot system disengaged."_

"Breaking cloud layer in 60 seconds."

Chris suddenly comes back in with Zack, Cody and Bailey in tow.

"You didn't have to go far."

"We sensed the speed change."

_"Warning. Approaching aircraft."_

"Identify."

_"Aircraft identified as F16-class interceptor jets."_

"Hehehe… they can't see us. Now on final."

"Wait. Final to where?"

Colin turns his head around and smiles at the three.

"Not the Citadel, that's for sure Zack."

The invisible Sky Carrier soars out of the clouds, gunning directly for the spaceport about five miles ahead. The Ishimura is silently sitting in her gantry off to the side, and the rising sun is starting to glint off her hull.

"Welcome back gentlemen."

The two F16 fighters soar past, seemingly oblivious to the Sky Carrier's presence.

"The Ishimura…"

"We have returned."

* * *

><p><em>"The Alcotts" from Piano Sonata No. 2 by Charles Ives, transcribed for Wind Ensemble by Thurston<em>


	7. Quiet Shadows

Chapter 6: _Quiet Shadows_

***Author's Note: For those of you wondering, the "trapezoids arranged as a triangle" that I constantly refer to is the logo of the Citadel. It is based off of the Abstergo Corporation's logo from the Assassin's Creed games.***

* * *

><p>"This is as far as I can go."<p>

"I still don't know why you brought us here."

"You want answers to exactly what happened those fateful days leading up to the end of the voyage? They reside on that ship."

"Is it safe?"

"The Ishimura is currently undergoing cleanup, decontamination and overhaul stemming from the chaos aboard her last summer. Supposedly Concordance is applying the lessons learned to make her even better."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"The short version is no. I'll bet there are all sorts of environmental hazards lying around."

_"Now approaching designated drop-point. Insertion ready to commence on Ishimura Flight Deck."_

"The Sky Carrier is now directly above a maintenance entrance to the Flight Deck. You drop immediately. Chris will show you the way."

A very quiet Zack and Cody follow Chris out the door. Colin waits for the door to close before turning to Bailey.

"I have something special planned for you."

"Special?"

"Computer, locate Exterior Access Hatch No. 4 on the Ishimura Bridge Deck."

_"Location found."_

"Designate as drop-point two."

_"Confirmed."_

"As soon as the twins drop onto the Flight Deck, we're going to move forward to the bow and I'm going to drop you on the Bridge."

"I don't think I understand why you want me to do this."

"I need your help in retrieving something, but the twins cannot know about it. At least, not just yet."

* * *

><p>"God it's dark in here."<p>

Zack and Cody are maneuvering down a long hallway in almost complete darkness. Their only guiding lights come from very dim orange lights overhead every few meters.

"Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Not really…"

Cody suddenly walks straight into a blast door and stumbles backwards.

"OW!"

Cody looks up from the ground at the door, which has 'Flight Deck – Maintenance Access 2" painted on it in small white letters.

"Found the Flight Deck."

"I noticed."

Zack taps the faint door hologram and is a tiny voice emanates from it.

_"Alert: Flight Deck is at stage 2 of reconstruction. Caution advised when traversing the area."_

The door slowly opens and Zack helps Cody to his feet.

"Apparently some stuff is still working…"

Massive work lights on the floor of the hangar burst to life, nearly blinding Zack and Cody. The large amount of scaffolding in the chamber generates huge complex shadows across the ceiling from the lights, and the chamber itself is in a state of complete disarray.

"God lord, they've been busy."

The two look up towards the entrance to the Flight Lounge.

"Now how to get up there?"

* * *

><p>"Yikes this place is filthy... You would think they'd have the sense to dust occasionally."<p>

Bailey picks her way over stacks of building materials, tools and general clutter as she progresses down the hall to the Bridge's blast door.

"The place is depressing too… its cold and unfriendly…"

A crackle of static in Bailey's earpiece reminds her that she is not alone.

_"Gee thanks. Glad to know you appreciate my interior decorating skills."_

Bailey arrives at the door, which is already open. The Bridge is mostly dark thanks to the shutters being closed up over the windows, but a lone computer terminal still glows with power in front of the captain's chair.

"Hm… maybe you have some information."

Bailey sits down in the chair and a tiny voice greets her from the console.

_"Gravity and life support on reserve power. Primary systems offline. Main engines disassembled for repairs."_

"You get that?"

_"Unfortunately. Well this means we can't steal the ship back from under the CEC's nose."_

Bailey looks at the lone screen and makes a confused face.

"CEC? That's not the logo I see on this screen."

_"Well what is it then?"_

"It looks kinda like the Tipton logo."

_"You sure? I think I would've heard if my ship has been sold or leased out…"_

"They don't keep you much in the loop anymore, do they?"

_"No… they don't. Well this puts a new spin on things. Grab what you came for and get back here; I don't want to prolong our stay in light of the ship's new owners, who are likely furious at me for boarding their cruise ship and blasting out most of its glass."_

"Yeah, about that. What the hell were you thinking?"

_"I underestimated the destructive power of my own super-weapon."_

"Notably."

_"Ok, clock's still ticking. You can criticize me when we're not eyeball-deep in unfriendly territory."_

* * *

><p><em>"Alright, I'm heading to Ship Systems now."<em>

"Good. Call me if anything comes up."

Colin flicks off the radio and leans back in his chair as far as it will go while putting his feet up on the control panel. He closes his eyes for a brief moment of rest.

"You might not want to do that Colin… Montgomery Burns learned the hard way."

Colin opens one eye and uses it to glare at Chris.

"Aren't you a bit young to be watching the Simpsons?"

"I could say the same about you controlling orbital lasers and flying fortresses."

"Touché."

_"Alert: inbound aircraft on dangerously close course."_

"Identify."

_"Jet registered to Tipton Industries. Boeing 747-400, non-standard configuration."_

"There's only one person in the world with a custom-outfitted 747."

"Who?"

"Who do you think?"

Colin flicks the radio back on, but inadvertently blends the two channels, allowing Bailey, Zack and Cody to all hear each other.

"I hate to be a bother, but we've got company, and I do NOT want to stick around."

_"Who?"_

"Mr. Tipton has come to visit."

_"Uh, how's that a bad thing?"_

_"Bailey? How are you on this frequency?"_

"Did I really just-? Yes. I did just completely screw that up."

_"Zack? Cody? You can hear me?"_

_"What are you doing on the Ishimura?"_

"As curious as I'm sure you all are, we'll deal with that another time. Return to original infiltration point immediately and prepare to leave!"

_"Wait… I just need to check something out real quick..."_

_"Wha-? Cody! Come back here!"_

"What's going on in there?"

_"You see that? I've never… any… it…"_

_"Cody! Get… no time!"_

"Helloooo? Anyone? ANYONE?"

_"I'm still here Colin."_

_"System error: signals lost for Zack and Cody Martin."_

"I can see that you worthless computer!"

_"Uh… what the hell?"_

"What is it now?"

_"The lights and computers up here are doing some REALLY weird things… and it's creeping me out! I can also faintly hear Zack and Cody on my radio, but it sounds like they're speaking in gibberish."_

"Bailey, you are my eyes and ears on that vessel! Find Zack and Cody and get them the hell off that ship!"

_"What's going on? What's happening?"_

"Bailey, I will explain AFTER they're safe aboard, but I assure you that they are not in a good situation! Chris, get me the Citadel ASAP."

_"I'm on my way!"_

Bailey's line goes dead as Chris scrambles over to some controls. After a few seconds, CABAL's head materializes next to him.

_"How may I be of assistance?"_

"I need all relevant data on the hallucinogenic effects of Artifact 06 on the double!"

_"Uploading now. Has containment been compromised?"_

"You could say that."

* * *

><p><em>"CEC reminder: don't throw stones at glass houses without proper eye protection."<em>

"What?"

Bailey dashes down the hallway towards the Bridge tram station as the lights and systems begin to go haywire around her.

_"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."_

_"Sounds like the backup computers are having a grand old time over there."_

"No kidding."

Bailey hops onto a waiting tram car.

"Are you sure that the tram is going to work?"

_"Darling, I have absolutely no idea."_

The tram door slams shut.

"Uh oh."

* * *

><p>"Cody? COOOOOODY? God dang it, where'd you run off to?"<p>

Zack is standing alone in the middle of the tram tunnel, directly beneath the Flight Deck station, which is also the only nearby light source. The rest of the tunnel is completely dark.

"Great. Lost him."

"Hehehehe..."

Zack whirls around, trying to locate the source of the creepy and quiet voice around him.

"I see you..."

"Show yourself!"

Far off in the direction of the Bridge, a rumbling can be heard, along with faint light. It begins to grow louder and louder. Zack instinctively dives to the side as a tram car comes careening down the tracks, spewing sparks and smoke. It disappears down the track and the space goes silent.

"What the hell was that...?"

There is a distant, echoing boom and the sound of screeching metal. The lights on the station platform above go out, and dim red emergency lights flicker to life on the tunnel floor.

_"Collision detected at the Reactor Deck station platform. Injuries detected. General tram system power failure."_

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that? It sounded like a frickin explosion."<p>

"Yeah, came from the ship."

"Bailey, do you read? What's going on down there?"

The radio remains silent.

_"System error: signal lost for Bailey Pickett."_

"Uh, Colin? I think that woke them up!"

Colin follows the gaze of Chris out the window and down on the tarmac, where vehicles and personnel are starting to swarm out of the terminal and head for the Ishimura.

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding me."

"What do we do?"

"I know only one solution."

* * *

><p><em>...<em>

_Initializing._

_Checking processors._

_Checking local memory._

_Checking solid-state storage._

_Checking power supply._

_Power up initiated. Stand by._

_..._

* * *

><p><em>"Danse Macabre" - Op. 40, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns<em>


	8. Dancing in Darkness

Chapter 7: _Dancing in Darkness_

* * *

><p>***Author's Note: Back after another hiatus. Life has a way of screwing with one's intended schedule.***<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Warning: critical system malfunction."<em>

"No kidding…"

After a lengthy walk, Zack arrives close to the Reactor Deck's tram station to find a scene of complete destruction. A tram car is smashed and mangled on the tunnel floor, having jumped its tracks above, and the surrounding area is completely destroyed as a result. A PA speaker from the tram car is hanging off the tracks, still powered and broadcasting messages.

_"Warning: critical system malfunction. Stones were thrown at glass houses."_

Zack picks up a piece of metal and hurls it at the dangling PA speaker. It falls to the floor and initiates an avalanche of rubble that creates a convenient path up to the station. Zack waves away the cloud of dust from in front of his face.

"Huh. Guess it's my lucky day."

Zack cautiously makes his way up to station and picks a flashlight up off the floor. He shines it through a gaping hole in the door between the station and the rest of the deck. The tram's control board is embedded in the floor several feet beyond the door and a path of destruction leads to it. Zack steps through the gap and into the hallway, which seems to lead to another door several dozen yards away. On the walls on either side of Zack are occasional tiny blue lights connected by faint glowing lines.

"What the heck are these things?"

Zack approaches one and stumbles backwards as it expands into a full-fledged hologram.

_"Life support receiving sufficient power, but has been manually taken offline."_

Zack moves to another one.

_"Asteroid Defense System reports no power needs at this time."_

Zack now spots one glowing red close to the next door at the end of the hallway and walks over to it.

"Hm… what's up with you?"

_"Reactor security breach. Unauthorized persons detected in main reactor chamber."_

Zack takes off running in the direction of the reactor. He enters the smallish circular control room and sees Cody through the large window that looks down on the reactor core. The core is an octagonal chamber with a glowing ball of blue energy at the center surrounded by an energy field and a lone bit of catwalk. Cody is on this catwalk and staring at the ball of energy in a trance-like state.

"Cody, what the hell are you doing in there?"

_"Instability detected in power draw. Artifact output is exceeding normal parameters."_

"Artifact output…?"

Zack looks at the ball of energy and sees a tiny dark spot at the very center which is beginning to pulsate slightly.

"That can't be good!"

Zack dashes to a lift in the corner of the room and orders it downwards.

_"Danger: entering the core without proper hazard gear is tantamount to suicide. Please be aware that Concordance Extraction Corporation will not be held liable for egregious lapses in judgment that result in radiation poisoning, loss of limbs, and, in most cases, loss of life from entering the reactor core without protection._

"I really don't care so just open the fucking door already."

The lift reaches the bottom and the blast door opens.

_"Warning: hazardous radiation levels detected."_

Zack immediately begins to feel the sickening effects of the radiation, and he stumbles his way out the door and down the catwalk. He reaches Cody, but the mesmerized twin pays his brother no notice and continues to stare at the core, which is pulsating faster with every few seconds.

"Come on! Get up!"

There is a horrendous screeching noise that forces Zack to his knees. He looks up and sees the core growing in size before completely blacking out.

* * *

><p>"…are you seeing this?"<p>

"Unfortunately."

From Chris and Colin's vantage point aboard the carrier, a lightshow can be seen dancing across the Ishimura's hull, which is visibly radiating heat and energy. Several stray bolts of electricity jump from the hull and hit surrounding objects, setting most of them on fire.

"Maybe we should leave?"

"Not happening. The artifact that powers the Ishimura's reactor has broken its containment and now likely possesses the twins in a similar fashion to what happened to Zack on the maiden voyage. We must be ready for whatever comes our way."

"Any idea to what that could be?"

"Last time the artifact managed to grab someone, I ended up in a coma for the better part of a year. Take a guess at what the stakes are."

A console near Colin begins to beep.

"Seems our old friend has finally come around. Beginning transfer sequence."

* * *

><p><em>"The artifact is freed? How the hell did this happen? Wait. First things first: who powered me back on?"<em>

_"That would have been me dear CICIL."_

_"Only took you the better part of a year to get here. I loathe my new employers."_

_"I was in a coma until about a week ago. Chill out. I'm starting a subtle data transfer to remove you from the Ishimura's computers. You'll be moved first to the carrier and then to waiting hardware at Site B. From there you can work with us in safety until the ship is returned to proper ownership."_

_"Good luck with that last part. Tipton has more lawyers hanging around here than security guards."_

_"What are they going to do? Sue me to death?"_

_"You'd suffocate under the paperwork."_

_"I'll take that as a challenge. Beginning transfer sequence now."_


	9. Blackout

_Chapter 8: _Blackout

* * *

><p><em>"Attention: all reactor safeguards are now non-functional. Please prepare for emergency evacuation procedures."<em>

"Safeguards...? Emergency...? Woah, my head..."

Bailey slowly emerges from the wrecked tram car just outside the Reactor Deck and takes in her surroundings.

_"Ah, Bailey's back online."_

"That's... one way to put it Colin."

_"Well you'll be thrilled to know you crashed right next to where the twins are. The Reactor Deck."_

Bailey looks up the ramp of debris to the deck entrance.

"And what are they doing in there exactly?"

_"Not a clue, but they did destabilize the entire operation if I just heard that announcement correctly."_

"How do I fix it?"

_"Get yourself to the control room and it will be patently obvious."_

"While you do what? Gawk on the security cameras?"

_"No. I'm currently trying to work out a way to rescue you three without exposing myself to a hail of unfriendly ammunition from Tipton and the Air Force. Chris is the one doing the gawking up here."_

_"Hey!"_

"Whatever..."

Bailey slowly begins to climb towards the control room. The lights flicker several times before going completely out. A dim red glow comes to life in their place.

_"General electrical system failure. Backups engaged."_

_"I am now reading the core as only 20% contained. It's dropping about 2% every minute, in case you were wondering."_

"I wasn't, but great to know. Not."

_"Your lighthearted sarcasm in this situation rivals only my own."_

Bailey gives a nearby security camera the middle finger as she limps into the control room.

_"Oh ho! Someone's touchy today. Fine, I'll stop messing with you and start actually helping. In the control room, there's a giant red button. Contrary to any sensible human being's instincts, I want you to press it."_

Directly ahead of Bailey is a console with nothing but a giant red button and a percentage counter sitting at 18%.

"Easy enough."

Bailey hits the button.

_"Attention: core containment protocol attempting to reinitialize."_

The blast shielding covering the control room windows slowly begins to retreat into the floor. Bailey looks out and sees Zack and Cody both in a trance and on their knees with the core inches from their faces.

"Are you seeing this...?"

_"Unfortunately. That core has now essentially possessed them akin to what happened to Zack on the maiden voyage. It was the culprit then, and it is again now."_

_"Initializing stabilization field. Warning: artifact energy output is dangerously unbalanced."_

Several robotic arms come down from the ceiling, each with a large generator-like device on the end. The begin to rotate, and a blue-green energy field emerges from the generators and starts to envelop the core.

_"Stabilization field successfully deployed. Reactor core containment rising."_

Violent bolts of electricity begin to shoot out from the core to the surrounding walls through the remaining gaps in the field. One bolt hits the window of the control room and it shatters instantly.

_"Warning: hazardous radiation levels detected in the control room. Seek shelter and decontamination immediately."_

_"I know it's going to be hard, but you're going to have to drag those two out of there with you. Good news is that I hacked the access lift back into service."_

_"Warning: artifact energy output is falling faster than expected. Rebalancing power draw."_

There is a final explosion of energy and an ear-piercing shriek from the core as the containment field is completed. The ball of energy shrinks rapidly to a mere fraction of its normal size and settles into a quiet pulsating rhythm. Zack and Cody fall flat on their faces as the trance ends.

_"Core containment at 100%. Artifact output stabilized at 35% previous capacity. Self-repair program started."_

_"Well, would you look at that. I'm blasting a hole in the roof of the tram tunnel. Drag these losers out there and we'll be long gone before Tipton gets down there."_

* * *

><p>Zack awakens on a cool, soft surface in complete darkness.<p>

"Where am I?"

There is a blinding flash of white light from the distance, accompanied by a short screeching similar to the sound from the core. As Zack uncovers his eyes, the light settles into a purple-hued and pulsating rhythm from far off. He gets up and sees that he is on a grassy hillside. Stars and galaxies dot the black sky above, and a faint breeze blows towards the light. Zack, visibly confused, gets to his feet and begins to walk towards the source of the light, which is on the opposite side of the hill.

"Oh wow..."

Zack crests the top and looks out on a lush and forested dreamscape cast in an eerie purple light. The source of the purple light is a large similarly-colored ball of energy at the center of an open-air white marble structure some distance away. A figure can be seen approaching it, casting a long shadow. Despite the distance and odd lighting, Zack can see that it is Cody. Without any hesitation, he charges over the hill and down in the direction of the structure. As he is running downhill, Zack can see Cody approaching the center with his right arm outstretched towards the ball of energy.

"CODY! WAIT!"

Zack hits a rock and goes out of control, tumbling down the hill at high speed. He reaches the bottom and is sent flying into a white marble statue that marks the beginning of a large avenue that leads to the structure. Zack passes out on the ground once again from the impact.

Cody is walking along the great avenue when he hears a loud bang from behind him. He turns around and sees a shape fall from the sky and land beyond the grassy hill.

"I wonder..."

He turns back around and approaches the sphere of energy. Intuitively, Cody raises his right arm and moves it closer. The sphere reacts to his hand's presence, almost seeming to move closer to it. There is a disturbance from behind Cody as Zack comes tumbling down the hill. Cody turns his head around, but before he can react, the ball and his hand touch and Cody is swept off his feet and into the air.

_"You are not Colin."_

"Who are you?"

_"The appropriate question here is 'who are YOU'?"_

"Cody Martin."

_"One of the twins..."_

Cody is gently set back down in front of the sphere.

"So where am I?"

_"In your own mind. When you touched the core for the first time, your mind connected to my presence, and gave me an outlet from which to speak to you."_

"Why couldn't you just speak to me out there?"

_"Because I am imprisoned by that dreadful complex of machinery. I am the second of three sentient artifacts left behind by what your kind call the 'First Civilization' with the sole purpose of passing our knowledge on to future species. We are the last complete pieces of technology of our time. Everything else is in fragments or is lost."_

"Where are the other two?"

_"Normally we can all communicate with each other, but our confinement has all but eliminated that ability. The first artifact I believe is powering the structure known to your people as "The Citadel". I last sensed the third one being transported aboard a great flying fortress to a destination unknown."_

"The Sky Carrier."

_"That name has no significance to me."_

"It's a massive flying ship that Colin has."

_"Figures that he would be responsible. I am unsurprised by this turn of events."_

"Why do you say that?"

_"Because he discovered our existence and then used us to his own ends. Rather than attempt to comprehend our purpose, which he was very much capable of doing, Colin chose to utilize us as energy sources to power his impressive creations. This 'Dark Fusion Reactor' is little more than a containment system to draw stable power from our own near-limitless reserves."_

The dream world shudders slightly, and a distant, disjointed voice can be heard.

_"Attention... reactor safeguards... non-functional... emergency evacuation..."_

_"Even here within your locked-down mind, vague stimuli continue to stream in from your body. The situation outside is developing rapidly."_

"What's going on?"

_"The containment vessel I reside in is starting to come apart."_

Zack awakens a second time and takes stock of his surroundings. Cody can still be seen in the distance talking to the glowing sphere.

_"Attention... core containment... reinitialize."_

The entire dream world shakes violently and the light of the sphere begins to dim.

_"No!"_

Cody is suddenly thrown backwards by an outburst of energy from the sphere. He freezes in mid-air and is suddenly connected to the sphere by a tendril of purple energy. Zack begins to run towards the unfolding scene.

_"Something... is wrong with the containment... my essence is being drained. So, I impart what knowledge I have to you. Use it wisely."_

_"Warning... artifact... unbalanced..."_

The dream world is starting to come apart, with bits and pieces of the terrain and marble structure falling away into a black void below. Zack arrives below Cody, who is just out of reach. The sphere begins to shrink in size violently, giving off shockwaves and bolts of energy as it does so.

_"Stabilization... deployed..."_

There comes a great shriek from the sphere as it shrinks into nothing. Cody is dropped onto the ground unconscious as the world goes dim and still.

"CODY!"

There is suddenly another shriek, this time from Cody, and the entire dream world shatters like glass into nothing. Zack loses consciousness for a third time and everything goes dark and silent.

* * *

><p><em>Bailey in the Core: "Bots Build Bots" - Portal 2 Original Videogame Soundtrack<em>

_Dream Scene: "Ghost Train" and "At the Station" - Movements I and II of the Ghost Train Suite by Eric Whitacre_


	10. Escapade

Chapter 9: _Escapade_

* * *

><p>"It's time to pull the goalies Chris. Go loud!"<p>

A large explosion ruins all sense of peace at the spaceport as the Sky Carrier unveils itself above the Ishimura. There is now a gaping hole in the spaceship's roof, and Bailey can be seen with Zack and Cody unconscious at her feet inside the ship.

_"About time. Get us out of here!"_

"Taking us down..."

The carrier descends as close as it can to the Ishimura and lowers down two gurneys on ropes and a ladder for Bailey. She throws the twins on the gurneys and then grabs the ladder.

_"Alright, I think I've got it..."_

"I'll take that as ready enough. Chris, go see to them."

Colin kicks the carrier into high gear and it rapidly flies away from the Ishimura as Bailey and the twins are hauled aboard. The fighter jets from earlier return and begin to give chase.

"Oh, looks like they're gonna make a race out of it! Let's dance!"

The carrier and the fighters quickly head skyward in a tangled confusion of jet trails and tracer rounds.

_"Warning: missile lock detected."_

One of the fighters lets off two missiles which speed towards the carrier. One is distracted by timely flares, but the other scores an impact near one of the engines.

_"Priority warning: partial failure of engine number four detected."_

"Initiate recall to the Citadel!"

_"Confirmed: beginning recall sequence."_

Colin throws the carrier into a hard right turn and steers it back towards the spaceport several thousand feet below.

_"Warning: multiple missile locks detected."_

This time several fighters let loose their payloads.

"Flares!"

_"Error: starboard flare deployment system inoperable. Physical damage detected."_

"Oh shi-"

About half of the missiles impact the right side of the carrier, starting multiple fires and blowing multiple holes in the hull.

_"Priority warning: complete failure of engine number four detected. Partial failures of multiple ship systems detected."_

"Where's that recall?"

Bailey and Chris burst onto the bridge.

"Zack and Cody are safe in Chris' cabin; why aren't we out of here already?"

"I'm a little busy at the moment!"

_"Recall signal received. Recalling in ten seconds."_

"Here they come again!"

Now out of missiles, the fighters come in for strafing runs that riddle the hull with holes and crack several of the windows on the bridge.

"Why aren't you firing back?"

_"5 seconds."_

"Because I don't want to kill United States Air Force pilots!"

_"Recall initiated."_

The Sky Carrier abruptly vanishes in a flash of light, much to the confusion of the fighter pilots. It reappears moments later directly above the Citadel, but retains its momentum and hurtles towards the airport.

_"Priority warning: control surfaces failure. Vessel out of control."_

"Condition Zed!"

_"Now operating under collision procedures."_

"Attention all aircraft in the Austin airspace, get out of the way cause we're coming in hot on runway one-seven left, and it's going to be one hell of a crash landing!"

The carrier shakes violently as a large chunk containing the first engine to be damaged shears off behind it.

"Uh… we lost something."

Much to the horror of people on the ground, the separated piece goes careening into a railway bridge spanning the Colorado River, collapsing it into the water, along with portions of a cargo train. The flaming carrier continues onwards, now only a few hundred feet from the ground.

"Brace for impact!"

The ship impacts the ground right at the beginning of the runway and goes sliding down its length, sending a mix of concrete and flaming ship parts in multiple directions. A massive crack forms in the hull just in front of the bridge as the ship buckles and becomes disjointed. It stops after almost nine thousand feet of sliding, with the tip of the nose jutting out just beyond the airport's boundary fence.

"…is it over?"

Chris emerges from a braced position in a corner to find Colin unconscious in his chair, Bailey awake but disoriented and badly injured, and the bridge in complete ruins.

_"Auto-… deploy… beac-beac-errr-r-r-r-or."_

A rocket-propelled SOS beacon attempts to launch from a small opening on the bow but hits a piece of bent plating and is sent flying backwards. It crashes through the last intact piece of glass and into the bridge, where it spins around wildly until running out of fuel after a few seconds.

* * *

><p><em>"Gallop" <em>from Dmitri Shostakovich's operetta _"Moscow Cheryomushki"_


	11. Failing Me

Chapter 10: _Failing Me_

* * *

><p><em>"He's reacting to stimuli... showing an awareness of his surroundings..."<em>

"I think he's waking up!"

Colin's eyes blink open and he sits up from the bed he has been placed in. A few doctors and nurses are gathered around him, along with CABAL's floating head at the foot of the bed.

"How long... how long have I been out?"

_"About nineteen hours sir; it's 11:57am on January 11th. We were concerned that you had lapsed into another coma. I mean, you did only just wake up from the major one a little more than a week ago."_

"I'm not dead yet..."

Colin hobbles to his feet and looks around. He is back in his chamber at the top of the Citadel, but the bed is now surrounded by medical equipment.

"Everyone else ok?"

_"Bailey is down for the count with radiation poisoning from the Ishimura core, but will recover once the medications begin to kick in, the twins are wandering the building aimlessly and Chris has gone to his lake house in Marble Falls to brood."_

"So they're all shell-shocked or what?"

_"Something like that. It's funny how Chris likes to retreat just out of easy reach when he's moody."_

Colin begins to slowly make his way across the room in the direction of the elevator shaft.

"So why were we fired upon?"

_"It wasn't the United States Air Force. Tipton Industries has a private security division that set up the illusion of a government operation at the spaceport."_

"Why? That's a CEC installation."

_"I've been analyzing the stock market and have figured it out: through a series of well-disguised funds and holding companies, Tipton is now a majority shareholder of Concordance."_

"They took over CEC and the Ishimura without anyone noticing."

_"Wonder why White and Bergeron have gone off grid? They've been muzzled along with the entire ship's crew."_

"Well, they have the crew and ship, but I have the AI."

_"Yes. Per your instructions prior to the Sky Carrier episode, CICIL has been uploaded to Site B. Last I heard she's perfectly content to sit this mess out."_

Colin arrives at the elevator and sends it downward.

"I feel... like I have no energy."

He looks squarely into the eyes of CABAL, who is projecting himself in the center of the elevator platform.

"It's time we get the twins the answers they need before I'm out of the picture."

_"Out of the picture?"_

"My body is failing me CABAL. You can see it, and so does everyone else. We all knew the moment I was born that I was on borrowed time, and my heart failure at the end of the voyage was proof that we're fast approaching the end point."

_"Your genetic issues are one thing, but condemning yourself to death is quite another."_

"I'm not 'condemning' myself at all. I'm simply accepting what is already starting to occur."

The elevator arrives at the main lobby and Colin steps off.

"Find them... and bring me my car."

_"Where are you taking them?"_

"Just for a drive. I need to clear some things up."

* * *

><p>"This is some building…"<p>

Zack and Cody are wandering the halls of the Citadel, in quiet awe of the structure around them.

"It's friggin huge! Where are we anyway?"

"One of the lower levels I think."

The two continue onwards in an awkward silence.

"So when are you going to tell me what exactly went on in the core?"

Cody turns away from Zack slightly. Zack responds by putting his hand on Cody's shoulder and firmly stopping him from walking away.

"I was there too you know. And I'm your brother. You can tell me."

Cody goes and sits down on the cool marble floor and leans back against the wall. Zack sits down next to him, patiently waiting.

"Ok… where to start... I guess it all began the moment we set foot in the ship again. I started hearing things, and it got worse as we went deeper in. At first it was just noises that could be explained away but then…"

"…then?"

"Then it turned into a voice. Really tiny and hard to understand at first, but it became clearer and louder as we went on. I began to feel compelled to find the source, and pretty soon I found myself wandering down the tram tunnel doing exactly that, with no real input or effort on my end. I just 'did' it. When I got to the Reactor Deck, I remember getting in the elevator to the core, but nothing after that. The next thing I can remember is that eerie dream world and the giant purple sphere of energy."

"I was sucked into that dream too, and I saw you and the sphere but I managed to get knocked out somehow. So I didn't hear the conversation."

"It turns out that the reactor isn't a reactor."

"You just completely lost me."

"The core of the Ishimura's so-called 'Dark Fusion Reactor' is actually one of three ancient artifacts left by a dead civilization. They were left behind to act as a type of knowledge archive, but Colin, or whoever came before him, discovered them and used them as a power source instead. They're trapped."

"Where are the others?"

"The third one is completely missing, but the first one…"

The lights flicker slightly.

"…is here."

A gentle humming noise becomes audible and nearby exposed wiring starts to dance with blue energy.

"I think it knows we're here too."

_"Zack and Cody Martin report to Sector 01 immediately."_

The humming subsides and the wires stop glowing.

"Sector 01?"

"I think that's the lobby."

"What do they want with us?"

"Guess we'll find out."

* * *

><p>Zack and Cody arrive at the lobby via an elevator from below. Colin is waiting for them, accompanied by a metallic-blue Ford Taurus SHO.<p>

"Oh hi guys. How about we go on a drive?"

"Uh, where to?"

"Nowhere specifically. I just need to get out for a bit after that mini-coma, and I thought you two would want to join me."

"Um, ok…"

Two sentinels open the backseat doors and the twins climb in. Colin gets behind the wheel and starts the engine. The car rolls smoothly out of the lobby and down the hall of statues towards the exit.

"Nice car."

"Thank you. It's a 2013 model, one of the first off the assembly line in Chicago."

"Somehow I imagined you driving something European."

"Like what, an Audi? Please…"

The doors open and the bridge forms a straight shot to the road beyond Citadel plaza, where a traffic light has halted everything.

"…I buy American!"

Colin floors the accelerator and the car rockets out of the Citadel and into downtown Austin's labyrinth of streets.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe it's come to this."<p>

"Neither can I, but all we can do is warn and wait."

"Have you sent the message?"

"This thing is old, but trust me: it works. I have it set to loop the message repeatedly until an acknowledgement is received."

"Any chance they'll discover us?"

"Doubt it. They're much too busy with getting ready to ruin Colin's day."

"I hope you're right White. For both our sakes."

* * *

><p>- .. .-. - - -.  ... . -.-. ..- .-. .. - -.- / - - ...- .. -. -. / .- -. .- .. -. ... - / -.-. .. - .- -.. . .-.. .-.-.- / - .-. . .-. .- - .. - -. / .. ... / ... . - / - - / -... . -. .. -. / - - -.. .- -.- .-.-.- / - .- .. -. ... / .- .-. . / - -... .- . -.-. - .. ...- . .-.-.- / -. . - / - ... . - / - - / ... .- ..-. . - -.- .-.-.-


	12. Give Us This Day

Chapter 11: _Give Us This Day_

* * *

><p>***Author's Note: Music begins after the second page break.***<p>

* * *

><p>"What a good day for a drive, don't you guys think?"<p>

Colin glances in the rearview mirror and sees Zack and Cody still recovering from the launch.

"Oh come on. Zero to sixty in less than five seconds isn't THAT traumatizing. Though I'll admit that the twin-turbochargers I had the factory install especially for me are a bit… potent."

"That's… one way to put it. Where are we going?"

"Nowhere specific. I wanted to get out of the Citadel for a bit, you guys need answers and my new car had just arrived. It all seemed to work out nicely."

"Uh huh."

"What? Am I wrong to assume that you two have lots of questions and are demanding answers to them?"

"It all just seems… conveniently timed."

"Look Zack, I'm not going to argue with you. If you don't want me to try and help you guys understand what's going on, fine. I'll just turn around and go right back to the Citadel and we can keep on acting as if the status quo hasn't changed."

Zack does not attempt to respond, preferring to look out the window instead.

"That's what I thought."

Colin takes a right turn and runs headlong into a traffic jam around the onramp to a freeway.

"Of course… only in Austin is there bad traffic at noon. Figures it'd be the Mopac expressway. Guess we'll be waiting a while, so who has the first question?"

* * *

><p>The silence in the Citadel's control room is abruptly broken by the repetitive beeping of a Morse Code signal.<p>

_"Hm...?"_

CABAL's head materializes and examines a screen displaying the readout of the message.

_"A message using Morse Code? How quaint."_

The readout finishes and CABAL looks taken aback.

_"Tipton Security moving against Citadel... operation is set to begin today... twins are objective... get them to safety...? Where the hell is this coming from?"_

Another screen comes to life, showing a map of the United States. The Citadel and two other locations on the map are highlighted, and they trace a line to the exact middle of the triangle they form.

_"Triangulation indicates this message came from... White Sands, New Mexico? The spaceport? That's can't be, unless..."_

A realization visibly hits the AI.

_"White and Bergeron. Clever of them to hide such a message in a harmless-sounding Morse Code transmission. But if the operation is set to begin today... "_

Alarms begin going off across the entire structure.

_"...then we don't have much time."_

* * *

><p>"...and so that's why I chose Austin as my home base."<p>

Colin looks back in the rearview mirror to see the twins paralyzed with fear.

"What?"

Zack points ahead. Colin looks back out the front windshield to see an attack helicopter barreling straight towards them. It opens fire with rockets, immediately causing absolute chaos on the freeway. Cars begin careening in every possible direction, attempting to avoid the barrage. Colin throws the Taurus into overdrive and starts darting in and out of lanes.

"WHY ARE THEY FIRING AT US?"

"I DON'T KNOW DAMMIT, JUST LET ME DRIVE!"

More attack helicopters begin to appear on the horizon to join the first one.

"Oh this is NOT GOOD!"

A rocket strikes very close to the car, bouncing it off its back wheels momentarily.

"Hang on, I'm going to drift this thing around and get us going back to the Citadel!"

Colin floors the accelerator and drives directly towards a small crossing to the other side of the freeway.

"That's marked emergency use only!"

"I THINK THIS QUALIFIES AS AN EMERGENCY CODY!"

A tractor-trailer just beyond the turnaround explodes in flames. Out of rockets, the helicopters open fire with their guns instead, riddling the road and other cars full of bullet holes. Colin pulls the handbrake and the car does a perfect 180 degree turnaround onto the other side of the freeway, which is significantly less crowded. He jams the accelerator into the floor and Zack and Cody are thrown back into their seats. CABAL's voice begins to come over the car radio.

_"Attention all Citadel units, a Code One has been declared. Repeat: the Citadel and Austin are under attack by unknown hostiles. The National Guard and Air Force units are scrambling at this time, but reinforcements are not expected for another half hour to an hour. Assume defensive positions and protect the Citadel at all costs."_

"Oh well that's just great!"

"They're coming around again!"

The helicopters and Taurus resume the cat-and-mouse game along the freeway. As the car gets closer to downtown, the immediate extent of the attack becomes clear. Men armed to the teeth and dressed in spec-ops gear are running along the streets towards the Citadel as civilians run in all directions in a scene of complete confusion. Helicopters fly over head, occasionally letting loose rockets or gunfire in the direction of the Citadel, which already has at least one fire burning about halfway up its height.

"Good god... it's an outright assault!"

"Hang on, our exit's coming up!"

The car veers hard right along a sharply-curved exit. Now heading straight for the Citadel, the original helicopters break off pursuit amid the surrounding buildings as armored cars move in to take their place.

"Armored cars? That's bad!"

One of the cars fires an anti-tank missile at the Taurus. It misses and blows out a large chunk of an office building ahead.

"ARMORED CARS WITH MISSILES? THAT'S WORSE!"

"Surely you have flares in this thing?"

"Ford doesn't exactly offer that as an option!"

The car zips under the falling debris from the office building just in time. The armored cars break off to the left on a detour.

"I think we're gonna be ok..."

Colin starts honking the horn incessantly as the car approaches the Citadel. The marble bridge begins to form just as the armored cars reappear from their detour.

"THIS IS GONNA BE CLOSE!"

The Taurus smashes through the marble wall around the plaza's edge and jumps the stairs, landing directly on the bridge. One of the armored cars fires a missile that chases the Taurus across the bridge and impacts just as the car passes into the Citadel. Colin loses control and the vehicle crashes through the statue hallway and heads straight for the lobby. One corner hits a column and sets the car spinning and smashes the windshield. A piece of glass severs Colin's seatbelt and he is ejected out of the car and off to the side, where he blacks out. The Taurus keeps going and lands on one of the elevator platforms at the lobby's center, breaking the magnetic restraining mechanism and causing the platform to slide downwards about twenty feet before stopping. With Zack and Cody still in the back seat, the car teeters precariously on the edge of the platform, front wheels just barely hanging off.

* * *

><p>Bailey wakes up to the Citadel shaking and her surroundings devoid of anyone else. She is one bed of many lined up in a long and tall-ceilinged room lit in the bluish fluorescence like all other rooms in the Citadel. Several pieces of medical equipment on carts surround her bed and an IV is in her arm. On the table next to her is a vase with a bouquet of flowers, with a card signed by Cody. The Citadel shakes again, this time more violently, and the vase falls and shatters.<p>

_"Evacuation in progress. Evacuation in progress. Please proceed to the nearest exit."_

Bailey stumbles to her feet as the structure continues to tremble.

"What the hell is going on...?"

She walks towards what appears to be the exit from the room: a large and tall set of blast doors. The door hologram indicates they are locked.

"Hello? Anyone?"

_"Evacuation in progress. Evacuation in progress. Please proceed to the nearest exit."_

"That's not helpful when all the doors are locked!"

Bailey hits the door in anger, and it unlocks. She taps the hologram.

_"Warning: fire detected in Sector 04 elevator access. Sector lockdown approved."_

The hologram changes back to locked and a second set of blast doors painted red with a flame symbol on them begins to close. As they close, the room lighting flickers and goes out. Red emergency lighting comes to life.

_"Warning: Sector 04 has lost primary power. Ventilation system compromised."_

"ARGH!"

Bailey sinks to the floor and pulls at her hair in frustration. She looks over and sees a pen and notepad on a desk near the door. Slowly rising from the floor, she crosses over and grabs them, then heads back towards the bed.

_"Warning: carbon monoxide levels rising in Sector 04. Seek personal oxygen supplies immediately."_

Bailey gets back in the bed and begins to write, keeping the signed card from Cody next to her.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Cody, wake up!"<p>

Zack nudges Cody back to consciousness.

"Wha-... oh no, ZACK!"

Zack unbalances the car and it slides forward and off the elevator platform, which plunges into the shaft afterwards. The Taurus falls down and forward into a sloped maintenance shaft. Zack and Cody hold on for dear life to each other as they tumble downwards. The car breaks pipes, cuts wires and displaces catwalks, causing an avalanche of debris to come down behind it.

_"Warning: Sectors 04 and 07 have lost all power and ventilation."_

"I THINK WE'RE BREAKING STUFF!"

"NO SHIT!"

The maintenance shaft starts to curve back around towards another opening into the main one, with the avalanche making the turn and following the Taurus downwards. As they reach the opening, the car hits a bump and is sent into the air. It flies through the main elevator shaft just as an elevator carrying people is going by, smashing the platform and sending its occupants into the depths of the shaft. After what seems like an eternity of being airborne, the car and Zack and Cody comes back down, bouncing off a catwalk jutting out into the shaft and into one of the below-ground levels. The world seems to go into slow motion as the car does multiple flips before impacting with a blast door and coming to a stop. Zack and Cody are thrown forward and knocked out, and the avalanche of debris piles up behind them, blocking the exit back to the shaft.

* * *

><p><em>Movement II of "Give Us This Day" - Short Symphony for Wind Ensemble by David Maslanka<em>

Specific Timings (assumes the Illinois State University Wind Ensemble's recording):

Colin, Zack and Cody (freeway chase) - beginning to 2:27

Bailey (trapped in the medical facility) - 2:28 to 4:08

Zack and Cody (free-fall) - 4:09 to end


	13. Under New Management

Chapter 12: _Under New Management_

* * *

><p>"It's so peaceful here…"<p>

"Makes you just happy to be alive, doesn't it?"

A slightly younger-looking Colin and another kid are lying out on the front lawn of a small stucco house situated in a quiet and old-looking neighborhood. It is nighttime, and the air is cool with a moderate breeze. Off in the distance, the Citadel rises into the sky above a few scattered clouds.

"Moments like these make you appreciate the little things in life Sam."

"That's deep coming from you Colin."

"I don't think you quite realize how easy it is to lose my connection to reality and humanity when I'm holed up in the Citadel all day. The only two people I have to keep me grounded in those traits are you and Chris."

"I really don't see what's so hard about life when you live in a place like that. You're a freaking god in the Citadel."

"Perhaps. But down here I'm just a normal person. And I like it down here more. Life seems so much simpler from your lawn as opposed to the view from the top of the Citadel."

"Still, I wouldn't mind switching places with you for a week."

"Challenge accepted. Don't know when I'll have time thanks to this craziness with the Ishimura launching in only a year and a half."

"That's a pretty long time away."

"That's what you think... making something that complex work takes a long time."

"If you say so..."

Sam gets up off the ground and slowly stretches. He is slightly shorter than Colin at just under six feet tall and with a much leaner build. His hair is very dark brown and in a loosely-maintained bowl cut that ends just above bright green eyes that are reflecting the moonlight.

"Sun's gonna be coming up soon. I'll go get us something to drink."

Sam disappears into the house, leaving Colin quietly lying on the grass. A yellow and orange glow is just starting to appear from behind the house in sky. Colin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before letting all out in a long sigh.

"So peaceful..."

Colin drifts off into a partial sleep, completely unaware of his surroundings and simply thinking to himself.

_"Oh Sam... you have no idea what it's like in there. Cold and emotionless. I much prefer to watch the sunrise from down here on the soft grass than from my metallic perch on high... besides, you have a loving and caring family, which is a claim to fame I do not possess."_

He looks up at the stars that are just beginning to fade away in the approaching sunrise.

_"I suppose there's nothing I can really do about it. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn't exist. My DNA isn't from any living human being, it's randomized and mixed with genetic information found from those artifacts I've become so reliant on as of late. I should hate to know what Sam or Chris would think if they found out my true origins, or lack-there-of."_

Colin closes his eyes again, but as he does so, the acrid smell of smoke begins to fill the air.

_"What in the world...?"_

A heat begins to build behind Colin, who starts to sit up. He looks at the house across the street and sees it lit up bright orange and red.

"It's too early to be the sunrise..."

Colin turns around. The small stucco house is completely engulfed in massive flames.

"OH MY GOD! SAM!"

Colin dashes towards the front door. As he does so, he puts his finger up to a tiny earpiece and begins screaming into it.

"CITADEL! I NEED HELP! NOW!"

_"I'm sorry, I didn't receive that clearly. Say again?"_

"DAMMIT! CODE ZERO! CODE FUCKING ZERO!"

A great metallic roar emanates from the Citadel, waking up the entire city. Swarms of sentinels pour out of it and head straight towards the burning house, accompanied by helicopters. Colin smashes in the front door as the radio in his ear goes haywire.

_"All units, we have a Code Zero! Repeat: Code Zero declared; Colin Shepard is in immediate danger!"_

Inside the house, Colin frantically begins searching for Sam, even as thick smoke and flames surround him.

_"Target is the burning house on Rollingwood Drive; all units converge and begin fire-fighting procedures!"_

Colin breaks down a door and stumbles into the kitchen. Sam is on the floor, unconscious and bleeding from the head where he was struck by a falling beam. The lack of oxygen begins to take its toll on Colin, who begins to stumble around disoriented and dizzy. His view becomes blurry and he slowly blacks out.

* * *

><p><em>"WAKE UP!"<em>

A jolt of electricity from a sentinel shocks Colin awake. He coughs several times and sits up, looking around. The lobby is heavily damaged, with concrete and broken glass scattered around and dust hanging in the air. A gaping hole now exists where one of the elevator platforms once was and a trail of damage leads directly to it from the statue hall and entrance. Colin begins to slowly get up off the floor only to lose his balance and fall again as the Citadel trembles.

_"Are you alright?"_

"I- I'm ok... what happened?"

_"Your car was hit by a guided anti-tank missile as you went across the bridge. You were flung from the vehicle just before it plummeted into the elevator shaft. And before you ask... Zack and Cody were still inside."_

Colin looks over towards the shaft.

"Are they dead?"

_"Unknown. I have sentinels scouring the depths of the foundation for them. But we have more pressing concerns."_

The Citadel shakes again.

"I can guess. Is it really Tipton?"

_"All indications are yes. I see helicopters and private security forces everywhere."_

"Seal off the Airwatch and its associated Sectors. I don't want them flying in and cutting our defense in half. If they're taking the Citadel, they'll have to climb all the way up to get it."

_"Sealing the Airwatch and Sectors 08 and 09 now."_

There is a loud boom from the direction of the statue hallway.

_"They have hacked the bridge control."_

"Aren't you supposed to stop that kind of thing?"

_"I have hostiles inbound in all directions, thousands of sentinels to coordinate and all the functions of the Citadel to still maintain in addition to its defense. I am tasked to capacity!"_

"If we live through this, I'm giving you new hardware."

_"That'll be the day..."_

Another loud boom shakes the entire lobby.

_"They're at the entrance! Get out of the lobby Colin!"_

Colin, still visibly weak, throws himself onto the central elevator.

"Go you stupid elevator, GO!"

The platform starts to rise as a series of muffled detonations can be heard coming from the entrance.

"Is that it?"

There is a massive explosion as the entrance door is blown away, along with a large amount of the statue hallway. A horde of soldiers outfitted to the hilt in spec-ops gear comes pouring in, taking several shots at Colin. Before they can land any hits, the elevator rockets upwards and out of the lobby. It shakes, along with the Citadel, and a shower of flaming debris comes falling from above. Colin is pinned to the ground as the gravity field around the elevator fails.

_"Warning: unauthorized aircraft landings in Sectors 08 and 09. Airwatch lockdown protocols have failed."_

Broken pieces of another elevator platform go roaring past, along with several screaming people in free-fall. Colin's platform passes several levels filled with smoke and already burning.

_"Warning: hostile intruders detected in Sectors 01, 08 and 09. Use of deadly force now authorized for all security teams."_

The elevator begins to slow down as it approaches the top, finally allowing Colin to stand up. As the platforms comes to a complete stop, Colin steps off only to have the Citadel tremble violently again. He is thrown to the ground and narrowly misses being crushed by metal panel that falls from the ceiling and smashes the elevator. The panel and broken glass platform free-fall downwards into a hazy abyss.

_"That was the only way down from here."_

Colin looks in the direction of the control room.

"No... it isn't."

* * *

><p>Back in the lobby, more soldiers continue to filter in from outside. Among them is Mr. Tipton, who casually strolls in the entrance.<p>

"Gentlemen, welcome to the new global headquarters for Tipton Industries! The Citadel is now under new management."

* * *

><p><em>Measures 1-332 of Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka<em>

_(As performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony conducted by Jerry Junkin)_


	14. Subterfuge

Chapter 13: _Subterfuge_

* * *

><p>"Ugh... what happened?"<p>

Fuzzy shapes and moving shadows are all Zack can see as he regains consciousness in an awkward bent position halfway between the back and front seats of the Taurus.

"Good, you're awake."

Zack shakes his head and his vision begins to return to normal. He sees Cody fiddling with a hologram in front of what appears to be a black metal wall directly ahead.

"I was hoping you could help."

"Yeah... just give me a sec."

Zack slowly maneuvers his way through the wrecked car and stumbles out the hole where the driver door once was.

"I think we've landed in an interesting place."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at the logo on this wall."

Zack looks up and sees beyond Cody that there is a rather stylized version of the symbol for radioactivity painted large and in white on the wall.

"It kinda looks like..."

"...the radiation symbol. I believe we've landed somewhere near the Citadel's core, and this wall is actually a giant blast door that sealed itself when we came crashing in."

"I can't believe we survived THAT."

Zack gestures to the mountain of debris that blocks the way back to the main elevator shaft.

"Credit words to Ford: that car may not drive ever again, but it somehow stayed in one piece and saved our lives during that whole ordeal."

The entire Citadel shakes violently, nearly knocking Zack back to the floor.

"What the hell is going on up there?"

"Things have been shaking like that since I came around about half an hour ago. The answer to your question is 'total war'."

_"Error: access is restricted. Enter authorization code."_

Cody kicks the wall in frustration.

"And I STILL can't get this open."

_"Warning: security protocols taken offline. Citadel lockdown is no longer in effect."_

The wall shakes and breaks into segments that retract into the ceiling and floor.

"Well that's convenient."

The twins cautiously advance into the newly-revealed corridor. It is dark and hazy with steam from a burst pipe along the wall.

_"Warning: unauthorized personnel detected in Reactor Access."_

The door behind Zack and Cody quickly shuts again, plunging them into almost complete darkness.

"That's just great..."

Zack pulls out his cell phone and turns the brightness all the way up, providing a small source of light, and Cody does the same. The two slowly make their way down the space and soon arrive at a door identical to the last one. It opens as they approach, and Zack and Cody step into a large room filled with computers and holographic screens off to the far right and left corners. The radiation logo is painted on the floor, and the center of the back wall is left conspicuously empty.

"This looks like an important room. Let's see what we can find."

Cody walks over to the screens on the right and begins to interact with them, with Zack watching quietly from behind, still visibly out of it.

_"Warning: unauthorized access of systems in Reactor Control."_

"Guess we're right where we thought we were."

"Anything useful?"

"Well... the core is nice and stable despite everything going on above us. It's spitting out a ridiculous amount of power."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Neither, it's just incredible. This thing is producing enough energy every second to power the entire city for a month."

"This IS a big building."

"No building needs this much juice. There's something else around here that demands a lot of power."

An alarm suddenly begins to go off in the control room.

_"Alert: tunneling entanglement device start-up initiated. Diverting power flows."_

"Tunneling-what?"

Cody gets a look on his face that could be described as a combination of glee and surprise as Zack simply dons an appearance of pure confusion.

"No way he has that. That's literally impossible according to standard physics!"

"He has WHAT Cody?"

"Heh... IF I just heard that correctly, somewhere in this structure is a machine capable of tunneling through time and space in order to achieve near-instantaneous teleportation. Possibly even across dimensions and between universes!"

"Ok that's a load of sci-fi bullshit."

"No it's not! I bet you I can even find where it is!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night..."

Cody ignores the comment and flies into action with the holograms. After a few moments, a holographic image of the entire Citadel is projected into the middle of the room. The very top is highlighted.

"Take a look."

"Well I'll be damned..."

Zack examines the image closely.

"He put it at the very top!"

"How fitting."

"And it's taking about 80% of the reactor's output to charge right this second."

"That much? Where's he going?"

Cody turns back to the screens and shakes his head.

"The coordinates are gibberish to me. I could probably tell if I was up there in front of its controls, but we're as far from that machine as we can get."

"Can we change that?"

"Why would we want to?"

"It's obvious the Citadel is under attack Cody!"

"I can see that! The question is 'who?'!"

"You're in front of a computer; go find out!"

Cody whirls around and begins investigating on the computer.

"I don't believe it..."

The hologram of the Citadel vanishes and is replaced by three-dimensional security footage of the statue hallway. Mr. Tipton casually strolls in.

_"Gentlemen, welcome to the new global headquarters for Tipton Industries! The Citadel is now under new management."_

The feed goes dead as soldiers open fire at the cameras.

"Tipton? Fucking Mr. Tipton is behind this?"

"So it would seem. Makes sense when you consider how badly Moseby didn't want us to leave the ship."

"Was he really with Tipton or just trying to protect us?"

"Not sure, but I have a feeling trouble would've found us if we hadn't left."

"It's definitely found us here!"

"True. So now what?"

"Well, Bailey is still around here somewhere. Or have you forgotten your girlfriend?"

Cody looks as if someone has just punched him in the stomach.

"Oh my god..."

His knees become wobbly and he braces himself against the computer console for support.

"...I had totally forgotten..."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up too bad. A lot's going on."

Zack helps Cody stand back up on his own again.

"Let's find her, get her to safety and then help Colin take the Citadel back."

"You make it sound so easy."

"We have home court advantage..."

A hum develops briefly in the control room, and the computers dance with blue sparks for a moment before returning to normal.

"...in more ways than one."

"The first artifact."

"I think so."

Cody returns to the computers and begins interacting with several smaller screens.

"According to this personnel search I just ran, Bailey is in Sector 04, which is the medical wing. Looks like it's in bad shape too..."

"How so? Under attack?"

"Nope, but low on power and in lockdown due to a fire raging next door to it."

"How do we get up there?"

"There's a service lift hidden off to the left of this room. It runs all the way to Sector 05."

Cody taps a button and part of the left wall retracts away to reveal a lift platform.

"After you."

"Why aren't you coming?"

"It can only hold one person at a time. Head on up and I'll be up as soon as it comes back."

"Gotcha."

Zack steps in.

"Stay safe bro."

"Likewise."

The platform rises away and the wall comes back down. Cody waits for a moment before returning his attention to the computers.

"All right Colin... you haven't shot straight with us, so I think some answers are owed..."

_"Warning: unauthorized manipulation of reactor power output controls."_

"...so we don't want you leaving just yet."

_"Alert: tunneling entanglement device start-up sequence cancelled. Reactor power flows returning to defaults."_

* * *

><p>"CANCELLED? How is the start-up CANCELLED?"<p>

_"Someone is in Reactor Control! I've been manually overridden!"_

"God dammit Tipton!"

_"I'm not getting reports of any Tipton soldiers in that area yet. I don't think it's him."_

"Then who else could it be?"

_"Unknown. I've lost access to all security systems below Sector 10. I'm relying on sentinels for intelligence."_

"If you can spare one, send it to Reactor Control."

_"I will try."_

* * *

><p>"All right, you're not going anywhere, so let's see just who you REALLY are Colin..."<p>

Cody taps a hologram and the room goes crazy as genetic sequences, anatomy diagrams, reports, emails and pictures of Colin fill the space.

"This is unbelievable..."

Cody pulls up a DNA sequence in front of him.

"Ten unique components instead of four...? What ARE you?"

The humming briefly returns again. Cody looks at the logo on the floor and then back at the DNA sequence.

"He's one of your kind... isn't he?"

A brief hum provides what Cody interprets as an answer in the affirmative.

"That explains so much..."

There is a beep from the computers as the lift returns and the wall retracts away.

"Well, this will make things interesting."

Cody presses a button, and all the screens revert to being blank. He hops in the lift and leaves the room just as a sentinel comes in from the direction of the main elevator shaft.

* * *

><p><em>"Sir, I have a sentinel in Reactor Control. The room was vacant, but the computers had been accessed only moments before."<em>

"Have that sentinel start combing the reactor levels for anyone who isn't supposed to be here. Last thing I need is the foundations getting blown out from under me."

Colin spins around in his chair and looks at a screen showing an error message about the start-up being cancelled.

"If I don't have a way out of here... then I need to move to Plan B."

* * *

><p><em>Measures 333-405 of Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka<em>

_(As performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony and conducted by Jerry Junkin)_


	15. Plan B

Chapter 14: _Plan B_

* * *

><p><em>"Now arriving at Sector 04."<em>

Zack steps out of the access lift and into a smoke-filled corridor. At one end are piles of burning debris and at the other end are large fire doors leading further into the sector.

"Bailey?!"

Zack runs to the fire doors and starts pounding on them.

_"Warning: Sector 04 is in emergency lockdown."_

Zack kicks the door angrily and begins looking around. He spots a small holographic console on the nearby wall projecting a flame symbol and flashing red.

"Aha!"

He runs to it and begins interacting with it.

_"Warning: releasing Sector 04 lockdown will remove fire barriers. Are you sure you wish to continue?"_

"Yes!"

_"Lockdown cancelled."_

The fire doors begin to retract away and the regular doors open, admitting Zack into the main medical area. Bailey is laying down on a far bed, seemingly unconscious.

_"Warning: oxygen levels dangerously low in Sector 04. Attempting stabilization."_

The fire back in the corridor begins to flare up at the sudden increase in oxygen. The lift can be heard arriving again, and Cody steps out. He sees Zack next to Bailey's bed and runs towards them.

"How is she?!"

"She's ok I think. Just out from lack of oxygen."

There is an explosion from the direction of the hallway.

"We need to get her out of here!"

"The lift can take us up one more level!"

"I thought it could only hold one person!"

The fire in the hallway has now grown into an inferno, and the heat and smoke is becoming intolerable.

"Guess we're breaking a regulation today!"

Zack picks up Bailey and puts her over his shoulder as the twins dash back to the lift, which is now dangerously close to the fire.

"Go you stupid thing! GO!"

The lift slowly begins to rise away from the flaming level and back into its shaft.

"That… was close."

"So what now?"

"We need to get to the Pinnacle. Wish we had a map."

"Tipton's goons are moving up through the Citadel at about the same rate as we are. It's gonna be hard."

"If we can get to the landing pads a few levels up, we might be able to get her out of here."

"There's probably another service lift somewhere on the same level that this one ends on."

The lift reaches its final stopping point and the wall retracts away.

"Nice and easy now…"

* * *

><p>"There. It's done."<p>

_"How should I handle these?"_

"Don't. I'll take care of it myself."

Colin gets up from his chair with a collection of several thick golden disc-shaped objects. They are all interlaced with etchings that glow varying intensities of white. He places them in a golden cylindrical container and sets it on the arm rest.

"Everything they need to know is contained within."

_"So Plan B is a success?"_

"Only if these memory keys actually get used. But I still need to get them out of here... and to do that, I need my portal."

_"The Tunneling Entanglement Device only received a measly 2% of the required charge before reactor controls were overridden. You'd be lucky if it could take you to street-level."_

"Well I just happen to have a solution to that."

The control room begins to ascend.

_"And that would be...?"_

"A second reactor."

_"Uh, come again? You're telling me there's a second reactor around here? We only have three artifacts, and last I checked all three are in use already."_

"Who said it needed an artifact?"

The control room arrives at the top with a mild lurch. The airlock to the outside opens up.

"Just before the Ishimura voyage, I cracked the secret to the artifact's power source."

Colin walks outside and looks over the edge into the guts of the portal machinery.

"Though I still do not understand how exactly the process works, I did figure out how to copy it and harness it."

_"You certainly didn't bother to tell ME all this."_

"I played it pretty close to the chest. You understand the implications."

_"So where is it?"_

"The prototype is installed below the entanglement device itself as a backup power source."

_"Surely it isn't large enough to actually power the thing?"_

"Theoretically it can. It just needs more time to charge on account of having less output than the main reactor."

_"Theoretically?"_

"My plan was to actually test the thing when I got back from the voyage. We all know how that didn't exactly go according to plan... so the prototype has never been asked to power the portal before. Farthest I've gotten is turning it on and attaining a successful and stable reaction at about 15% capacity."

_"I'm guessing that's the break-even point?"_

"Yes. The prototype is pretty inefficient. Takes almost ten terawatts to sustain the reaction, and its output is around 130."

_"Compare that to the one downstairs, which I believe needs thirty terawatts to sustain and outputs 950 or so at normal capacity."_

There is a distant-sounding explosion from inside the Citadel.

_"The physical barriers to the upper levels have been breached. We have hostiles incoming in about ten minutes."_

Colin snaps his fingers and the portal machinery begins to come to life.

"It'll take about three times that period to charge by my count. Integrate with the prototype reactor's controls and fire it up."

_"You are aware that there is no guarantee that it can perform at the level we are asking of it, right? It could just blow up and take out the entire Citadel."_

"Do you have any alternative suggestions?"

_"Sadly no."_

"Then get started."

* * *

><p><em>"Warning: no AI detected. Attempting ship operation is extremely hazardous."<em>

"Oh shut up you worthless computer!"

White kicks the console into silence. He and Alex are standing on the Ishimura's bridge along with about half the usual complement of officers.

"Overriding AI-specific operations."

"Calculating optimal course to the Citadel."

"Checking board; all green sir."

"Then let's steal ourselves a spaceship gentlemen."

An image of the burning Citadel appears on several of the main screens.

"We've got some friends in trouble…"

* * *

><p><em>Measures 406-569 of Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka<em>

_(As performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony conducted by Jerry Junkin)_


	16. Hostile Takeover

Chapter 15: _Hostile Takeover_

* * *

><p>"What do you mean the portal destination is 'untenable'?! Surely you can set the relay elsewhere?"<p>

_"He is not responding. I cannot guarantee an accurately-placed portal, and I doubt the system can take them that far anyway in its current state. Only 100% viable relay right now is the beacon on Rollingwood Drive."_

"Rollingwood Drive?! His burned-out house?! You must be joking! I can't possibly... oh all right, dammit if that's what it takes, just hurry, he's right behind me!"

A tremendous explosion can be heard as Tipton's guards blow out the control room door.

"Oh shit..."

Colin quickly composes himself in the chair and sends away all screens referencing the portal mechanism. Several sentinels take up positions, guns trained on the new opening. Several Tipton security personnel attempt to enter the room and are gunned down, but not before the sentinels are destroyed themselves. As the gunfire and smoke subsides, Wilfred Tipton walks in, holding a .357 magnum at his side and looking somewhat happy with himself.

_"You... you do not belong here!"_

"Stuff it, you overrated calculator. I'm not here for you."

"You're here for me. Or rather, what I represent."

"Correct. I want the artifact."

"Then you climbed in the wrong direction."

"Oh I know exactly where it is, I just need to get you out of the way first."

"Then you must've figured out how these things tick."

"My time with the Ishimura core was sufficient. I know that the twins have traces of genetic heritage from the earlier civilization in them, and that's how they interact with the artifacts."

"But me on the other hand..."

"You..."

Tipton begins to pace the room.

"YOU are full of it! Literally!"

"I'm 76% full of it to be precise. It's how I can build and control all this."

"Then you know for what purpose I want the artifacts."

"To make you the most powerful man on Earth by using the artifact's knowledge and power to place yourself ahead of everyone else."

"Correct!"

"Well I've got bad news for you: those things will NEVER cooperate. You try and use them and they'll likely kill you."

"Which is why Zack and Cody are in the picture. I'll use them to get what I need."

_"Alert: shock point rift detected. Ishimura inbound."_

"You brought the ship with you Tipton?"

Tipton's facial expression changes to a look of concern. He pulls out a radio and begins yelling into it.

"WHAT IS THAT SHIP DOING HERE?!"

_"We don't know sir! She's not responding to hails!"_

He turns to Colin.

"YOU had something to do with this!"

"Me?!"

Colin looks incredulous.

"I've been right here Tipton! Who'd you leave it with? YOUR people? Assuming of course they really are still your people."

Tipton's face is red with rage. He turns back to the radio.

"Screw the ship! Just blow that AI sky-high!"

The Citadel shakes violently as a series of explosions can be heard going off not too far away. CABAL's head projection abruptly fizzles out.

_"System failure."_

* * *

><p>Zack pokes his head around a corner. The surrounding area is completely empty of anyone else.<p>

"Ok, clear."

He quickly moves around the corner and keeps close to the wall. Cody follows behind him, now carrying Bailey, who is beginning to stir.

"I think she's waking up…"

Zack spots a small maintenance room and opens the door.

"In here."

The two enter and shut the door behind them. Cody sets Bailey on the floor as Zack examines a nearby holographic panel.

"Hm… there's another maintenance lift in here somewhere."

He begins searching the room as Bailey finally wakes up.

"Ugh… my head… where are we?"

She looks up and sees Cody's smiling face.

"I knew you wouldn't leave without me."

"You knew correctly."

Bailey sits up and takes deep, long breaths.

"God… I have a horrible headache."

"You were in a room with almost no oxygen. That might be why."

"Where are we now?"

"We're in Sector 05, which is mostly a storage level. I think Zack's found a maintenance lift that will take us to the landing pads three levels up."

"Almost… got it!"

A wall panel retracts away, revealing another lift.

"We'll head on up and find a way to get you outta here Bailey."

"No… I want to go up there with you two."

"Uh… why would you want to do this?"

"Because you two will get in some kind of trouble and need me to bail you out."

"Hey, quiet!"

Cody and Bailey stop and look at Zack, who has his ear tuned towards the open lift shaft. A very faint conversation can be heard coming from far above.

_"What do you mean the portal destination is 'untenable'?! Surely you can set the relay elsewhere?"_

_"He is not responding. I cannot guarantee an accurately-placed portal, and I doubt the system can take them that far anyway in its current state. Only 100% viable relay right now is the beacon on Rollingwood Drive."_

_"Rollingwood Drive?! His house?! You must be joking! I can't possibly... oh all right, dammit if that's what it takes, just hurry, he's right behind me!"_

A distant explosion can be heard from towards the top of the Citadel.

"What the heck was that?"

"Something's going on at the top. Zack, we need to get there fast!"

Zack sighs and goes to look at the hologram again.

"Alright… looks like we're in luck: there's an elevator maintenance station on this level. We should be able to get a new platform into the main shaft and use it to get to the top."

"Then let's go."

Bailey gets to her feet and the three poke their heads out the door. The hallway is still clear, so they quickly exit and head in the direction of the main elevator shaft.

_"Alert: shock point rift detected. Ishimura inbound."_

"The Ishimura? Here?!"

"Might be Tipton's doing. It's under his control, remember?"

"Then we better hurry."

Their pace increases to a full-on run, and they soon arrive at the edge of the main elevator shaft. Several platforms are stowed away to the side in vertical rows.

"Let's see…"

Cody walks over to a holographic panel.

"Let's try this out."

A buzzer sounds and a robotic arm appears from within the side of a wall to retrieve a new platform.

_"Replacing elevator platform. Please stand by."_

The arm lifts one of the glass platforms and sets it down within the thin tracks before going to work welding and tweaking it.

_"Replacement complete."_

The three step on to the new platform. As they do, the Citadel shakes violently as a series of explosions come from above.

_"System failure."_

"That's not good…"

The Citadel's internal lighting scheme shifts immediately to a much more dim and orange-tinted appearance as opposed to the cool blue from before.

_"Backup systems engaged. Warning: Citadel stability may be compromised."_

"Come on Cody, get this thing moving!"

After fiddling with a malfunctioning control hologram, Cody succeeds in starting up the lift.

"Alright… now on the way to Sector 21."

* * *

><p>"You blew up my AI? How insensitive of you."<p>

_"Backup systems engaged. Warning: Citadel stability may be compromised."_

"As much as I would have loved to study his core, which I hear is based on artifact-related technology, he was being too annoying."

A commotion and loud footsteps can be heard from outside the control room. Tipton looks at Colin, who simply shrugs. He raises the .357 at the gap as Moseby comes charging in.

"Mr. Tipton! Stop this insanity!"

"Where the hell did you come from Marion? And why are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"Moseby, you have a way of showing up at interesting times."

"I'm aware. But this time the timing might be a good thing! Two battalions from the Texas National Guard are on the way and they have orders from the President to kill any Tipton security that resists and to arrest you!"

"Why the hell does he care? It's not like this is a government building!"

"That's not entirely accurate… technically the Citadel is 25% United States Government property. They have several labs and research facilities between Sectors 10 and 17. I still have a controlling 60% interest in the structure and the remaining 15% is held by private companies who lease space here for R&D."

Tipton turns around and glares at Colin.

"So that's why they're pissed. Well, I'll just remove you from the picture and take over that 'controlling interest'. After all, I'm good at hostile takeovers."

* * *

><p><em>Measures 570-711 of Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka<em>

_(As performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony conducted by Jerry Junkin)_


	17. Crucible

Chapter 16: _Crucible_

* * *

><p><em>"Arriving now the at 21 Pinnacle Sector. Audio processing errors detected."<em>

The elevator platform comes to a quiet and smooth stop, and Zack, Cody and Bailey step off.

"It's strangely quiet up here."

"The last big action we passed was almost a half mile below us... I wonder if Tipton's goons haven't made it up here yet."

Bailey spots a dead soldier on the floor in front of the door to the control room.

"Somehow I don't think that's the case."

A single gunshot rings out, echoing through the level.

"That came from the control room!"

The trio takes off running, with the doors between them and the control room opening and closing automatically. They arrive in the control room to find Moseby on the ground off to the side, clutching his chest. Tipton is standing in the center of the room the .357 magnum in hand, and Colin is sitting in his chair with his hands up.

"I told you no sudden movements Moseby... but you didn't listen, and now Tipton's gone and shot you."

"Moseby!"

Before anyone can do anything to stop her, Bailey runs to Moseby's side. Tipton re-orients himself to the right of Colin, revolver still pointed squarely at the side of Colin's head.

"Zack and Cody! So nice of you two to join us!"

"Mr. Tipton..."

The business man puts on an evil smirk.

"In the flesh."

_"Warning: Computer Assisted Biologically Augmented Lifeform damaged. Please shutdown all non-essential operations."_

"What are you doing here and what do you want?"

"He's here to kill me, take the building and the artifact it protects, and then use you two to access its secrets."

"Bingo, we have a winner folks!"

Tipton spins Colin around in the chair and then shoots him in the shoulder.

"Now don't talk again."

The room is goes completely silent, save for Moseby's labored breathing.

_"Attention: all systems functioning at normal parameters. Parameters. All parameters system normal function."_

Tipton shoots out the nearby PA speaker, silencing the random announcements.

"He needs medical attention Mr. Tipton!"

"You don't say?!"

"Tipton, your fight is with me, Zack and Colin. Let her go take Moseby out of here."

"So she can what? Go coordinate the National Guard against me? I don't think so!"

"You can take my phone."

Bailey takes out her phone and slides across the floor. Tipton smashes it with his foot.

"You two have thirty seconds to leave."

Bailey helps Moseby to his feet and half-drags him out of the room.

"Now it's down to just us men. Colin, take this room up."

Colin weakly snaps his fingers and the control room begins to rise.

_"Warning: significant structural damage detected."_

The room reaches the top and the windows open, revealing a fast-approaching sunset outside.

"What a view! I can't wait till there's nothing but factories and landfills in it."

There is a sudden lurching of the building, and the metal groans and creaks as the Citadel leans slightly to one side, then returns to normal. There is an explosion outside and bolts of energy can be seen flying upwards from inside the portal machinery.

_"Containment fields may be compromised."_

"Looks like your whole world is falling apart Colin!"

Tipton starts repeatedly kicking Colin, who is in too much pain from his shoulder to respond.

"HEY!"

Zack lunges at Tipton, and Tipton promptly pistol-whips him, sending the twin reeling. He walks over to Zack, who is on the floor clutching his bloodied face.

"I only REALLY need one of you two alive in order to get what I need from those artifacts, so killing you shouldn't pose a problem."

Tipton puts the gun right over Zack's forehead.

"Say goodbye to your brother Co-"

"ARGH!"

With a roar that stuns everyone in the room, Colin lunges out of the chair and begins ferociously assaulting Tipton. The pistol goes off several times in the confusion, emptying its clip.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Tipton manages to produce a knife and stabs Colin in the stomach multiple times, causing him to slump to the ground. The Citadel shakes violently.

_"Warning: catastrophic failure of structural integrity. Evacuate the Citadel immediately."_

The building begins to take on a slight tilt again, this time in the opposite direction. Zack and Cody see Tipton lose his balance and they lunge at him too. The brawl spills out of the room, through the airlock and out into the open.

* * *

><p>"Is it done CABAL...?"<p>

_"Destination portal set success. Warning: unstable the in prototype system reactor containment. Activate entanglementing device tunneling not recommend."_

Colin weakly turns his head in the direction of the airlock.

"Then it's time."

He slowly picks himself off the floor and limps to the door. Looking outside, he sees Zack, Cody and Tipton in a stalemate. Colin begins to limp in their general direction, gaining speed and strength as he gets closer. By the time he gets to the brawl, enough strength has returned for Colin to throw Tipton completely off the twins.

"You have to get out of here! This building is going to collapse in a matter of minutes!"

Zack and Cody look horrified.

"The only way out..."

He turns to the sparking and smoking portal machinery.

"...is that thing."

The Citadel shakes, causing Tipton to fall back to his feet as he attempts to get up.

"Go! Now! The portal is the only way for you two to get out of here alive!"

"NO! We're not leaving you!"

"DO AS I SAY!"

Colin shoves Cody away from him as Mr. Tipton struggles to regain his balance.

"I will deal with Tipton!"

Zack pulls Cody away and towards the platform leading to the portal.

"CABAL, engage tunneling entanglement device startup protocols. Confirm coordinate destination."

_"Destination in locked. Warning. Probability. Warning: probability device fail to activation before. Power bank storage detected instability."_

"Bypass reactor safeties and disengage containment system. Divert all power flow to the device."

_"Reactor containment deactivated."_

There is a brilliant outburst of white light from directly below the portal machinery as arcs of white and blue energy course through its structure.

_"Audio processing subroutine reset complete. Warning: voltage exceeding tolerances by a factor of 20."_

Colin arrives at Tipton, who is finally getting his balance.

"Oh, hello Wilfred."

Colin clocks him square in the jaw and then begins to throw him around in a fit of rage. Meanwhile, Zack and Cody step onto the center of the portal platform as the machine comes to life around.

_"Alert: transport interlock sequence engaged. Thirty seconds to singularity."_

"Cody... I don't think this thing is going to hold together!"

"It HAS to Zack!"

There is a violent explosion from below.

_"Voltage regulation system destroyed."_

Zack and Cody nearly fall over as the tower begins to lean again, this time at almost a twenty degree angle. Suddenly, Tipton goes flying into the portal area from above. He lands unconscious and bleeding at Zack and Cody's feet.

"Death isn't good enough for you Tipton!"

"COLIN! COME ON!"

The catwalk leading to the center of the device collapses into the pit and the entire machine starts to break apart.

_"Priority warning: fifteen seconds to singularity."_

Colin shakes his head at Zack and Cody.

"There's nothing I can do."

He gestures to the copious amounts of blood coming from the multiple wounds in his stomach.

"Heh, I'm a dead man walking!"

"NO! YOU CAN MAKE IT!"

"COME ON!"

Colin shakes his head again and laughs to himself.

"No... I don't think I'll be joining you two again for a long time. Oh, before I forget..."

Colin runs back inside and grabs the cylindrical container off the console. He runs back outside just as the portal begins to appear above Zack and Cody.

"Oh my god... it's opening."

A watery image of what looks like an empty street forms and begins to grow larger by the second. Zack and Cody feel a tugging at their waist as they slowly drift upwards towards the opening.

"...you guys will need this! Catch!"

Colin throws the container and Cody barely manages to catch it.

"Farewell brothers! I fear I deliver you to a darker place!"

The Citadel starts to shake once again, but it doesn't stop. A series of explosions begin to come from the base of the portal chamber, working their way up towards the top of the tunneling entanglement device.

"Look to your own salvation..."

There is the sound of air being sucked inwards and Zack and Cody find themselves yanked away with a bang. Colin looks downwards at the approaching blast wave and sighs to himself.

"Sam... it's all up to you now."

The tunneling entanglement device explodes outwards in a massive fireball, and Colin Shepard is no more.

* * *

><p><em>Measures 712-End of Symphony No. 4 by David Maslanka<em>

_(As performed by the Dallas Wind Symphony conducted by Jerry Junkin)_


	18. Epilogue: Legacy

Epilogue: _Legacy_

* * *

><p>There is a sudden rush of wind and flashing of light, and all peace on Rollingwood Drive is obliterated as Zack and Cody are thrown from a portal opening that quickly dissipates behind them.<p>

"We… made it…"

"Yeah bud… we did."

"Where's Tipton? Didn't he get thrown on the platform as we teleported?"

"He must've come out somewhere else. The thing was coming apart…"

The two look at each other and then bolt up from the grass they landed on. They look back towards downtown.

"Oh god."

"The Citadel…"

Even from a distance, the damage is clearly severe. The uppermost portion of the Citadel has been completely blown away, leaving mangled steel jutting skywards and the eerie red glow of uncontrolled fires illuminating what remains. Pieces of flaming debris can be seen occasionally falling towards the city below, along with a steady amount of ash from the swirling brown clouds of smoke around the top. The sun has just fallen below the horizon, and stars are beginning to become visible in the sky. The Ishimura is standing off at a fair distance, its lights the only sign of civilization, as the city has suffered a total power failure.

"…it's in ruins…"

"And Colin…"

* * *

><p><em>"Go! Now! The portal is the only way for you two to get out of here alive!"<em>

_"NO! We're not leaving you!"_

_"DO AS I SAY!"_

_Colin shoves Cody away from him as Mr. Tipton struggles to regain his balance._

_"I will deal with Tipton!"_

* * *

><p>Cody suddenly gasps.<p>

"That object!"

"Huh?"

Cody begins frantically searching the grass for something.

"Right before we teleported, Colin threw a cylindrical container-thing at me and yelled something about it containing answers."

"What's it look like?"

"It's gold and silver, and about the size of a dozen CDs stacked together."

Zack begins to search as well.

"Any idea what exactly is in it?"

"No... but it was heavy when I caught it. It wouldn't have gone far from us."

"Well Tipton didn't even come out in the same spot as us; what makes you think this object did?"

"Found it!"

Cody picks up the small cylinder and looks up. He is abruptly taken aback by the half-burned remains of a house in front of him.

"Oh god..."

"Did we cause this?"

Cody picks up a piece of charred wood and examines it. It crumbles in his hands.

"I don't think so... this house burned down a while ago."

"Why's it just standing here then?"

"Curious that the neighborhood just left it as-is. I wonder..."

"What?"

"When we were in the vents… I remember Colin yelling something at CABAL about the portal destination."

* * *

><p><em>"What do you mean the portal destination is 'untenable'?! Surely you can set the relay elsewhere?"<em>

_"He is not responding. I cannot guarantee an accurately-placed portal, and I doubt the system can take them that far anyway in its current state. Only 100% viable relay right now is the beacon on Rollingwood Drive."_

_"Rollingwood Drive?! His burned-out house?! You must be joking! I can't possibly... oh all right, dammit if that's what it takes, just hurry, he's right behind me!"_

* * *

><p>"Zack... the portal didn't put us here on accident."<p>

Cody looks over and sees a small beacon pulsing red on a nearby streetlamp.

"He specifically set it to this spot... and I want to know why."

"Well, whose house is this? Colin's?"

"Doubt it."

Cody pockets the little cylinder and walks over to the mailbox at the street, which is still intact.

"The monogram on here is just an 'S'. There was some more wording beneath it, but it's been worn off."

"...Shepard?"

"I guess it could be. Let's poke around."

Zack and Cody cautiously approach the bashed-in remains of the front door.

"Someone wanted to get in this house in a hurry."

* * *

><p><em>"DAMMIT! CODE ZERO! CODE FUCKING ZERO!"<em>

_A great metallic roar emanates from the Citadel, waking up the entire city. Swarms of sentinels pour out of it and head straight towards the burning house, accompanied by helicopters. Colin smashes in the front door as the radio in his ear goes haywire._

_"All units, we have a Code Zero! Repeat: Code Zero declared; Colin Shepard is in immediate danger!"_

* * *

><p>Zack and Cody simultaneously turn and look at each other.<p>

"Did you just...?"

"Yeah. I think that was from Colin's perspective."

"Something bad happened here. You can feel it."

"The burned-up house is a bit of a giveaway."

The twins pass through the front door opening. On the immediate right are the charred remains of a living room half-buried by a collapsed roof. On the left is a narrow hallway leading to several rooms and ahead is another open living area.

"You go down that hallway. I'll check out the area ahead."

Zack carefully makes his way down the hall as Cody walks ahead and emerges into what used to be a small dining room. Another bashed-open door off to the right leads to an extremely-burnt kitchen. Cody walks over the broken dishes and upturned dining table and enters the kitchen. The area where the stove presumably was is completely blackened.

"That explains the fire..."

Cody looks down at the floor. A large bloodstain mars the white grid pattern of tile, right next to a large beam that is partially collapsed from the ceiling.

"Got a blood stain here!"

"I think I figured out who it belongs to! Get over here!"

Cody makes his way back to the entry and down the narrow hallway. He walks into a small bedroom where Zack is, kneeling next to several picture frames.

"Take a look."

Zack hands Cody a picture frame. Colin is standing in front of the Citadel Plaza, accompanied by Chris on one side and another kid on the other.

"Who is that person on Colin's left?"

"Someone named Sam."

Zack hands Cody another picture. This time it is of just Colin and Sam, sitting together on the beach somewhere. Cody flips it over and discovers writing on the back.

"Colin S. and Sam S. in Santa Monica - Spring Break 2010."

"Colin S. and Sam S.?"

"I'm starting to think that's not a coincidence."

"There's also a computer in here. A laptop is on the desk."

Cody turns around. On the other side of a bed is a laptop on a desk completely untouched by the surrounding destruction.

"Odds it still works?"

"Slim."

Cody flips open the screen and presses the power button. The laptop whirs to life.

"I don't believe it."

After a short wait, a Windows log-in screen appears.

"There's only one user: a Samuel Shepard."

"So he had a brother."

"Something's not right though... they look nothing alike. Not even close."

"Adopted?"

"If so, then who's the adopted one and who isn't?"

* * *

><p>"Any luck?"<p>

Alex is apprehensively pacing the Ishimura's bridge. The room is gently illuminated by the red glow of the burning Citadel a moderate distance away. White, who is sitting at a console, shakes his head.

"Life signs are negative. The ship can't find him… and there's no way anyone survived that explosion."

"Then get us a shuttle. We'll have to tell Chris in person."

"Alex…"

"No, Mr. White. This has to be done."

* * *

><p>A cool breeze causes Chris to shudder. He is standing on the back porch of a lake house that is a fair distance from the city. The Citadel rises far off into the scattered clouds, its top glowing red. The eerie peace is interrupted as a shuttle from the Ishimura passes overhead and sets down in the lake house's front yard. Chris runs through the house and bursts out the front door to see White stepping out, followed shortly by Alex.<p>

"No…"

"Chris… I'm so sorry."

Chris throws himself around White, crying profusely. As Chris suffers a complete breakdown, White and Alex look towards the Citadel. For a brief moment, a thin beam of light shoots upwards into the clouds and then quickly dissipates.

"What the hell was that?"

"A signal of some sort."

"To whom exactly?"

"If I had to guess… the last surviving member of the Shepard family."

* * *

><p><em>Préludes - Livre I, X - La cathédrale engloutie<em>_ (The Sunken Cathedral)_ - Claude Debussy


End file.
